Yard signs in the North Country have sparked more debate

The “Everyone Belongs” yard signs in the North Country have sparked more debate at town hall in Bethlehem and have prompted the Select Board, during their meeting on Monday, to mull an official municipal property sign policy. During the board’s June 25 meeting, board member Nancy Strand proposed, in a motion she later withdrew, the placement of one of the signs at town hall. Other board members and residents, though, while supportive of the sign, said the rainbow colors on it could be interpreted as the Pride flag that represents the LGBTQ community and could therefore be considered a political statement, and if the board approves one message, it could open the door to more residents wanting to place their message on municipal property and put the town in a position of being the arbiter of messages. “I never thought this would be a big deal,” Strand said during the board’s meeting on Monday that sparked an hour of debate and drew core members of the “Our Friends Our Neighbors” group that created the sign. “I honestly thought this would be a three-minute thing like the Small Acts sign that’s in the doorway of town hall, but I admit I was very naive in that thinking.”