Agreement sets stage for S. Portland ribbon removal

SOUTH PORTLAND – Beginning Today, city employees will begin taking down yellow ribbons that were placed on trees and utility poles four months ago as tributes to U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The decision follows an informal agreement with the family of Army Sgt. Jason Swiger, one of two South Portland High School graduates who were killed in Iraq in March.

Acting City Manager James Gailey said he will work with Swiger’s mother, Valorie Swiger, to form a committee of city residents to explore the creation of a permanent memorial honoring all veterans from South Portland.

“Finally, we are coming to the table to work together,” Gailey said.

The debate over yellow ribbons has been a source of friction among residents. Critics say the ribbons can be interpreted as support for the Bush administration and the war in Iraq, while others view them as a show of solidarity for the troops and the hope that they return home safely.

Beginning in 2003, Valorie Swiger and supporters across the city had sought to change an ordinance banning ribbons, posters and other items from public property.

After her son and Marine Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa were killed in action two weeks apart, the City Council voted unanimously to allow the ribbons to be posted anywhere in the city for a month.

But when the ribbons remained in place months after the deadline for their removal, some residents questioned why the city was ignoring the violations.

Gailey said he asked Swiger in early July to begin the process of removing the ribbons, but “she said no.” Around that time, Gailey began circulating his vision of a permanent memorial.

After an informal meeting with Swiger, two of her supporters and Mayor Claude Morgan, Gailey agreed to push ahead with the memorial project and to place boxes at municipal buildings where residents can drop off gifts to be sent to troops overseas.

Swiger could not be reached for comment, but Gailey said she reluctantly agreed not to protest the removal of the ribbons or to put up any new ones.