Letter: Mayors have no authority to lower U.S. flag

It seems Valley mayors need to be reminded, again, about who is authorized to order the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff. Prosser Mayor Randy Taylor ordered the lowering of flags for one week to honor local firefighter, Marine veteran and high school football star Dylan Bolt.

While I understand the sentiment, mayors do not have this authority under the U.S. Flag Code (Title 4, United State Code, Chapter 1). Only the president, governor and the mayor of Washington, D.C., have such authority. It is proper for a local entity to offer such an honor by raising the flag to full staff, momentarily lowering to half-staff, then again raising to full staff.

I urge citizens to recognize what is a valid order to lower the U.S. flag and remind mayors they have no such authority. They should obey the law.

This story was originally published January 29, 2017 at 4:08 AM with the headline "Letter: Mayors have no authority to lower U.S. flag."