Pottstown councilmember urges action after concerns raised over lack of diversity in veteran banner program

Three months after a CBS News Philadelphia investigation found a veteran banner program honoring local heroes didn't include any people of color, nothing's changed. Now, one councilmember is calling for action.

All along High Street in downtown Pottstown, you'll find Heroes of Pottstown banners fastened to poles on both sides of the street.

Last spring, Pottstown native and retired U.S. Army Col. Joseph Brown, along with the local NAACP chapter, raised concerns because of the 74 banners on display. Not one features a person of color.

"This is the nation's 250th birthday. It's a big celebration all over the country. Pottstown is going to be sitting here with no minorities being represented during that time frame," Brown said at the time.

Our investigation found that according to a contact, the Elks Lodge 814 owns the banners and the borough provides the property and the oversight.

There weren't any guidelines in the contract as to how the Elks would determine which veterans would be displayed.

In May, in response to the concerns, the borough issued a lengthy statement and said council was taking steps to strengthen the program and would press the Elks to make improvements, but that hasn't happened yet.

Now, Pottstown Borough Councilmember Andrew Monastra is calling on the borough manager to come up with a solution that allows for the quick installation of banners featuring veterans of color. He proposed swapping out some of the "I Pick Pottstown" marketing banners with more hero banners.

"Don't sit there and say, ' We can't do anything to it, and we'll get to it in a year or so.' That's not helping anybody," Monastra said. "That's not, that's just basically pouring salt on a wound by not respecting people, not respecting their service."

Borough Manager Justin Keller told CBS News Philadelphia, "We are in the process of identifying areas where the program can be strengthened. That is not unusual for a program in its first cycle. New community recognition programs often require adjustments after the initial rollout as demand becomes clearer, available locations become limited, and questions arise about how residents can participate. The borough and Elks Lodge 814 are working through those items and will provide additional guidance at the appropriate time so the public has a clearer understanding of the process moving forward."

The local Elks President said it's still a work in progress.

Monastra said he's hoping to get this issue on the agenda and bring it to a vote next month.