Pride flag confrontation and a 20-speaker comment session roil Webster Town Board meeting

More than 20 residents addressed the Webster Town Board on Thursday evening after a Pride flag, raised at the start of Pride Month by Supervisor Alex Scialdone, became the subject of a physical confrontation, a flood of public comment, and an unresolved board policy fight.

One resident described what she witnessed at the June 1 flag-raising: one individual attempted to grab the flag ropes to prevent the flag from going up, shoved a veteran who tried to reason with him, stepped in front of cameras, and shouted sexual remarks at a woman and her young son. The flag remained up.

The confrontation set the stage for Thursday's meeting, where the public comment session grew large enough that Scialdone reduced each speaker's time to three minutes (from the typical five). Near the end of the meeting, a board member introduced a flag policy resolution, which the board approved 3-2.

The flag and the record

When a resident thanked the board for raising the flag, Scialdone interrupted to clarify ownership of the decision. "This was a decision made by me," Scialdone said.

This resident said the controversy was being driven by politics and vote-seeking. His wife put it more directly: "Life is worth living in Webster. It's 2026. Why are we still fighting about this?"

Another resident told the board he is a member of the Support Alliance for Fairness and Equality for Transgender Youth in Webster. He described losing his brother to suicide about 39 years ago after his brother came out as gay at 17 and was, in Stuber's words, "bullied unmercifully throughout his life."

A Webster resident who said she is married to a woman and has a transgender brother told the board she is afraid to display a Pride flag at her home because of potential damage. "We're not going anywhere. We're not changing for anybody," she said.

An 11-year resident who identifies as queer, challenged board members directly: "Some of you will be celebrated for being on the right side of history. And some of you may find yourselves embarrassed by the legacy you are creating right now."

Speakers in opposition of the Pride flag argued that government property should display only the U.S. flag, the New York State flag, and the town flag, and that the decision had not been put to a board vote. One resident who operates a Webster NY Facebook group with ~16,000 members, said the flag "created unnecessary division and significant hostility." The resident said LGBTQ+ residents "should feel safe and welcome in Webster" but argued that "public property should not be used in ways that pit residents against one another," redirecting instead to quality-of-life concerns.

Another resident proposed a compromise: a rotating-flag calendar that would highlight a different community organization each month, including police, military, pride, and health-awareness causes, with each organization linked on the town website.

Councilman Cahill introduced a flag policy near the end of the meeting Thursday that would have declared the American and New York State flags the official flags of the Town of Webster on all town-owned properties, effective June 5. Scialdone sought clarification on which properties would be covered, offering to discuss further and add this as a topic at the Town Board meeting in two weeks. Instead, Cahill revised the policy to state the American and New York State flags to be the only flags that could be flown on Town Hall property (1000 Ridge Rd), and the board voted 3-2 to approve. The policy is effective as of 9am on June 5, 2026.

Council members John Cahill, Jennifer Wright, and Garrett Wagner voted aye.

Supervisor Scaildone and Councilman Hunter voted nay.

Six-month development moratorium

In the meeting's other major legislative action, the board enacted Local Law No. 2 of 2026, imposing a six-month moratorium on new applications in three categories: subdivisions of more than four parcels, large-scale solar installations, and data centers. The freeze applies to six commercial and office park zoning districts: O-P, MC, HC, CO, LC-1, and LC-2.

The moratorium is tied to the town's effort to complete its first Comprehensive Plan update since 2008. It can be extended in two additional three-month increments.

Cahill raised the state's NY Office of Renewable Energy Siting (NORDS) program during discussion, noting that it allows large solar companies developing projects of 1,000 acres or more to bypass local boards entirely. "We have no jurisdiction whatsoever," Cahill said, adding: "but it's a fight I'm willing to have."

A board member asked about another project that had been before the Planning Board multiple times without receiving preliminary approval. The Town attorney confirmed, under the moratorium, that project would need to seek a hardship relief exception from the town board to proceed.

Article 78: Montante Solar litigation

The board authorized Supervisor Scialdone to engage DeMarco Taylor Law Group PLLC for representation in Monroe County Supreme Court, Index No. E2026010907, related to the Montante Solar project. The billing rate is $250 per hour.

Other board actions

The board declared intent to serve as SEQR lead agency for the Webster Transportation Infrastructure Project, a Type I action covering roadway improvements and a multimodal trail near the Xerox campus. Community development staff and the Economic Development Administration presented on the project; a follow-up workshop is scheduled in two weeks.

The board accepted deed dedications of three park district parcels associated with the Westwood Estates Section 3 subdivision. Developer Michael D'Amico, who described four decades of subdivision work in the area, asked the town to maintain the 40-acre open space he has kept up. Community Development Director Josh Artuso said the town will communicate maintenance plans to residents.

At the meeting's close, a board member noted that Scialdone had unilaterally paused the board's standing end-of-meeting round table without discussion, calling it "another unilateral decision." Scialdone said the round table is "on pause" due to staff complaints and that he would consider bringing it back.

Routine items approved unanimously: budget transfers and amendments, a NYSLRS standard workday resolution for Councilman Wagner, a "Summer Help" position for the sewer department, and asset recycling and transfer items.

Workshop summary

The 6:30 p.m. workshop covered two topics. Robert Koszarek of KLW Municipal, contracted by the town in December 2024, presented on the 2027 townwide property revaluation. Data verification letters are going to property owners in early June; the next step is property data collection visits.

Representatives from Navitas, joined by DPW's Rick Kenealy and Finance Director Paul Adams, presented a plan to convert the Webster Water Pollution Control Facility's digester gas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas for sale. No vote was taken.

Disclosure: Webster Ledger publisher Morgan VanDerLeest spoke during public comment at the June 4 Town Board meeting. His remarks concerned governance philosophy, not the specific policy actions reported in this article.

References: Meeting recording, Workshop recording

AI tools were used in drafting and research.