“In retrospect, we should have been clearer,” America said. “We should have said, ‘You guys can go through this process, and that will be one path to get us one option.’ If we came up with a process that we felt was more inclusive … people could have had more choices and given more feedback.”

America said she is not in favor of holding exhaustive public meetings or for spending tax dollars on a campaign about the flag. However, she said she supports more public engagement directly between residents and the council before making a decision.

Councilor Blake Ewing said the issue goes beyond dissent over a flag design.

Ewing’s concern is that the Tulsa Flag effort has made a mountain of a mole hill, which is now damaging legitimate interest the group has had in public process.

“We had citizens that wanted to change something and worked to get it changed,” Ewing said. “I don’t want people like that to be devalued.”

Ewing said his first introduction to City Hall was alongside Elliot Nelson when the two were first beginning to develop downtown.