Ohio Dealer Cited For Small American Flags

This story began unceremoniously as a Ford dealership put a few small flags in the ground near their store. Sarchione Ford in Randolph (township), Ohio was doing what many dealers do, putting up American flags up on their property. The Ford store then received a citation from the local township zoning office. They had apparently unknowingly violated a code by the posting of the flags. They complaint read that they were too small. That complaint read in part, “American Flag Display. Flags being flown in public display section 1102, 04 Public display of patriotism is only allowable over 15 square feet. Current flags are non-compliant requiring immediate action.”

In an interview with Fox 8 news out of Cleveland, GM Jeff Sarchione said, “I put American flags up because it stands for freedom. To say we’re in violation for displaying our patriotism is just flat out appalling.” Sarchione was apparently so appalled that he took to social media to express his outrage. In a Facebook posting on April 30th, Sarchione wrote, “Our latest zoning violation… Speechless ‪#proudtobeanamerican.” He also posted a photo of the violation and in response to other comments, showed a picture of the flags. Outrage ensued.

People wanted to know why the local government was going after a dealer over small flags. However, amidst the chaos of angry posts, the man responsible for the error, Randolph Township Zoning Inspector Bruce Wagner, spoke up and declared it was all a joke, as he did in an interview with Fox 8. In an interview Wagner said, “I grew up in this town, I’m a proud Eagle Scout, and I would never, ever minimize the value of a flag. This got totally taken out of context.” Wagner reported received “threats of physical harm” after the post went semi-viral. One has to wonder why a local government employee is going around playing jokes on local car dealerships with fake citations? However, wonder no more, Wagner has resigned.

If the name Sarchione Ford sounds familiar, that’s because it is. This store was the subject of national news coverage, as well as our coverage at DrivingSales News. This store is where NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon worked. Gordon flunked an NFL drug test and worked at the dealership selling 12 cars and giving Sarchione a lot of publicity. That publicity came in part by declaring patriotism. As was the case with the Texas dealer who celebrated 2nd amendment rights, sometimes dealers generate as well as lose potential customers by taking a strong stance on a particular issue.

What do you think of this incident? How do you decide at your dealership when to post or not post on social media? Would you have handled this situation like Sarchione Ford did? Finally, how do you feel about dealers taking an ideological position at their stores?