The mayor of a small Mississippi town has sparked an uproar by refusing to lower the flag in honor of the late country singer Dolly Parton.
Ken Adams, the Republican mayor of Olive Branch, announced his decision in a statement on Facebook after both President Donald Trump and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for one week following Parton’s passing last week at age 80.
“I believe lowering the American flag to half-staff should mean something very significant,” Adams wrote Friday, arguing that the honor “should be reserved for military heroes, fallen first responders, presidents, major national leaders, or events that have had a tremendous impact on our country.”
“If we lower the flag every time a well-known or beloved person passes away, I believe we eventually lessen the meaning of the gesture,” he said.
Locals immediately pushed back against Adams’ decision, noting that the country music legend had long used her platform to help service members and military families.
“I’d lower it for Dolly before any politician,” one commenter wrote. Another accused Adams of using Parton’s death for his own agenda, writing: “You have turned something simple, sweet and respectful that nobody would have been talking about, into something ALL about YOU. And then say it’s not political?”
A commenter who identified as a veteran and first responder said he disagreed with Adams’ assertion that flag-lowering should be reserved only for people like him, saying, “She gave her time and money to the military and multiple organizations... She earned this.”
