Expand / Collapse search
☰

Collingswood mayor at odds with neighbor flying Patriots flag

Published  January 30, 2018 11:29pm EST
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

SOUTH JERSEY (WTXF) - Root for the Patriots and we'll shut off your water? That's essentially what the mayor of Collingswood said in a humorous letter to a couple of residents after they flew a Patriots flag outside their house.

FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson has the story.

Collingswood is showing its Eagles pride ahead of the Super Bowl this weekend with a huge display in the center of town but about a mile away on Virginia Avenue there's a battle brewing.

Jim Maley is the mayor of Collingswood and he's taking action against his neighbors.

"We've passed an ordinance to outlaw the flying of any flags that show colonial figures or any nationalism."

Why? Well, because his neighbor has been flying a Patriots flag outside his house for years.

"I really have not had any great reason to tell them it needed to come down. Frankly, with the success that they've had it's been difficult to tell them that but things change this weekend."

Mayor Maley put the 'ordinance' in writing. The penalty for refusing to take down the flag--the borough will cut off their water.

"I was told two things; one is we'll take the flag down but they're going to paint the house patriot blue. But then, tonight I see we have a little more of a light show that's going on," Mayor Maley said.

After the letter, things escalated. The neighbors now have patriots projecting all over the outside of the house.

Wilson had to get involved. "Hello there. I'm Shawnette with Fox 29. I'm looking for the sore losers who are going to have to shut this down on Sunday," she said after knocking on the neighbor's door.

Greg Jerome and his family are diehard Patriots fans from Connecticut.

"My father had season tickets to the Patriots. He raised me as a Patriots fan. He'd bring me to the games when I was younger as a kid. So just diehard Patriots fan through and through. No matter where I moved to I was going to represent the Patriots no matter what," he said.

Greg says after getting the mayor's letter, he had to one-up him. In just a few days we'll see who really has bragging rights. For now--it's just fun.