Select Board Unanimously Approves Transgender Flag on Town Commemorative Pole for March 31

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — March 16, 2026 — Manchester-by-the-Sea Select Board unanimously approved flying the transgender flag on the town's commemorative flagpole on March 31st, Transgender Day of Visibility, and voted 5-0 on a companion proclamation. Chair Ann framed the action as government speech and limited the display to the single day of recognition, departing from North Shore Pride representative Hope Putnam Court's request for a five-day period. Resident Kimberly Kahan, 12 North Street, spoke in opposition, citing procedural objections and health concerns; resident Steve Hamilton, 51 Forestry Road, spoke in support. The board also approved removal of two red oak trees at 40 Lincoln Street to accommodate PFAS infrastructure work, with Director of Public Works Chuck Dam acknowledging one tree not slated for removal may nonetheless die within a year or two due to proximity to new pipe trenching. In a separate action, the board voted unanimously to support $612,921 in Community Preservation Committee projects, including $350,000 toward the Tuck's Point Rotunda restoration, and reviewed a 28-article annual town meeting warrant carrying nearly $30 million in capital requests — the most capital ever placed on a Manchester-by-the-Sea warrant — led by a $16.5 million PFAS treatment project projected to add $315 annually to the tax bill of a $1 million home.