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To the Editor:
I am totally opposed to the proposal by one individual to replace the Elizabethton City Flag with a predetermined design to be crammed down the community’s throat. Anyone who knows Elizabethton’s history knows that Elizabethton did not begin in the 19th century, but in the 18th century and the 1882 covered bridge only reflects a portion of that history.
The current flag with the Overmountain Man is both symbolic and representative of Elizabethton’s origins and our nation’s heritage. If the current flag is to be updated or replaced, the process needs to be thru a city committee, similar to the Elizabethton Bicentennial Commission chaired by longtime STAR publisher and owner Frank Robinson, appointed by the City Council and comprised of city residents. (Incidentally, the Bicentennial Commission coordinated the design of the current Elizabethton city seal which was unanimously adopted by the City Council in 1999.)

Thank you,
Charlie Stahl
Johnson City