Banners Banned and Grounded On Main Street - No Hanging Banners

After years and years of banners hanging across Main Street, both organizations, I Am Beacon and the Spirit of Beacon Day were denied permission in 2022 to hang promotional banners across Main Street. Banners serve several purposes, including income to the City with a permit fee, income to organizations for sponsor logo placement on the high-visibility banners, and good old fashioned IRL (In Real Life) promotion for people when they aren’t lost looking in their phones.

The Spirit of Beacon Day raised theirs to the roof of Key Food. The Masjid Ar Rashid Mosque was also denied permission to hang their yearly banner celebrating Eid, the end of Ramadan. Their banner now hangs on the front gate of the Mosque. The Parade of Green was also denied hanging their banner, so theirs was grounded this year in the grassy area at Cross Street and Main Street.

In July 2022, City Administrator Chris White confirmed to the Spirit of Beacon Day Committee via email: “We no longer accept applications for banners on Main Street so you won’t be able to install one. The prior Administrator stopped issuing permits for banners after staff raised concern about safety after several of them broke and got loose into the traffic lanes of Main Street. We were also getting pressure from certain religious organizations about putting up religious banners so rather than try to navigate complex free speech issues, the prior Administrator just stopped issuing permits. I have continued this policy and have not accepted applications during my tenure here.”

The former City Administrator at that time was Anthony Ruggiero, who served under Mayor Randy Casale, who served 2 terms as Mayor and was Beacon’s Highway Superintendent for 16 years. During those years, banners were hung to promote goings on around town. Currently, the Highway Superintendent (titled Superintendent of Streets in Beacon) is Michael (Micki) Manzi. It is not known what Micki’s techniques are for hanging the banners, that may have differed from former Mayor and Highway Superintendent Randy.

Said Lesly Deschler Canossi via ALBB’s Instagram: “They used to allow Ree Play Sale years ago. I thought it was helpful.”

The Beacon Library also chimed in: “We requested in 2022 for the library’s anniversary and were told it was because of Central Hudson.” ALBB is currently following up on the Central Hudson reasoning.