Milwaukee flag finalists: “Three Rivers” by Cameron Pothier (top row, from left), “Cream City Star” by Jon Grider, “Golden Arrow” by Chanya Hughes, “Sunrise Over the Lake” by Robert Lenz (bottom row, left) and “The ‘M’ Star” by DeChazier Stokes-Johnson.

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And then there were five.

It's down to just five finalists in the "People's Flag of Milwaukee" design contest.

The finalists, chosen from among more than 1,000 entries, were unveiled during a Saturday evening ceremony at City Hall. They went on display along with the other 45 top entries and 15 honorable mentions.

People can now rate the finalists online. The winner will be announced on June 14 — yes, on Flag Day.

It remains to be seen whether the contest winner will actually replace the official flag, a blue flag featuring a montage of images, which was adopted during the mid-1950s. That decision is up to the Common Council.

One prominent radio host and design expert named Roman Mars has called the official flag a "hot mess" and "one of the biggest train wrecks in vexillological history." His criticism of the city's flag is what inspired local graphic designer Steve Kodis to create a new flag for the city.

Kodis has since devoted much of the last year to an effort to redesign a new flag, and teamed up with Ken Hanson, the executive director of Greater Together, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting racial and economic equality.

But the flag, which was designed by former Ald. Fred Steffan, has its defenders.

Marion Steffan Koch, Steffan's daughter, called Mars' comments "an insult to the history of Milwaukee" and her father.

"The symbols on the flag represented Milwaukee heritage," she said in an email. "Yes, the flag is outdated. BUT ... nobody has come up with a better design in the last 60 years, so I wouldn't call the flag a 'train wreck.'"

The official flag was created after the city organized a contest, gathered about 100 submissions, and then Steffan pulled together multiple designs onto one flag.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett acknowledged that the flag is a bit outdated, but laughed off Mars' harsh criticism of it.

"Lighten up, man," Barrett joked. "It's not that bad."

The finalists are:

■"Three Rivers" by Cameron Pothier.

■"The 'M' Star" by DeChazier Stokes-Johnson.

■"Golden Arrow" by Chanya Hughes.

■"Cream City Star" by Jon Grider.

■"Sunrise Over the Lake" by Robert Lenz.