Today is Flag Day, but it’s not Mexican flag day, at least not at the state employment office in Medford.

A supervisor in the office said that when she permitted an employee to hang a small flag from his native country of Mexico over his desk last year, she had no idea it would ignite a controversy.

"None of us thought anything about it," said Joyce Hayford, supervisor of the Oregon Employment Department on Oakdale Avenue.

The idea to hang a Mexican flag above the cubicle of someone who could speak Spanish with Hispanic clients seemed like a good idea, she said.

"We have a lot of people come in who are of Mexican background, and it’s kinda, ‘Here I am to help you,’ " she said.

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But one customer complaint grew into hundreds, prompting the employee to take down the flag.

Earl Howard, 46, a Shady Cove resident and regular client of the employment office, said he complained to management several months ago.

"This flag shouldn’t be here; this is treason, at least subversion," he said. "We don’t want to fly a foreign flag, whether it’s a Mexican flag or a Chinese Communist flag."

Hayford said it hadn’t occurred to her that a customer would be offended by the flag, which she described as being about 8-inches in length. She said there were many American flags in the office and the employee’s cubicle was not in the public area.

Hayford said Howard previously had complained because the employment office was using pencils labeled "China."

Hayford said she checked with the Department of Administrative Services, which, she said, told her the employee was not violating any policy with his flag.

"It kinda got blown out of proportion," said Hayford, adding that she’s been receiving calls from people who mistakenly thought the two flags were flown on a flagpole outside the building, with the Mexican flag on top.

"We don’t even have a flagpole out front," she said.

She said there was a photograph circulated among publications that distorted the situation, and gave the impression the Mexican flag was flying above the nearby American flag.

But Howard said he thought the Mexican flag was about 4 inches above a nearby American flag.

The employee decided to take down the flag, to avoid further controversy. Another employee, at an adjacent desk, removed his American flag to keep the look uniform, said Hayford.

Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com.