SWAMPSCOTT, Mass. — The Swampscott Select Board on Wednesday night discussed how the town's rainbow crosswalks could be repainted under a government speech policy it adopted at its previous meeting, which makes the board the approver of public displays it treats as the town's own message.

Under the approach board members described, a group such as North Shore Pride or a resident could come forward "in that collaborative way with the town" with a proposal to repaint the worn crosswalks or pick new designs, which the board would then consider as government speech.

One board member said a representative of North Shore Pride had described how repainting has worked in other communities, where the group pays for a police detail and the town pays for paint, or the reverse, with volunteer labor. "She said we're happy to do it in whatever way it works for the community," the board member said.

A board member said the original crosswalks had been expensive and that about $4,000 being discussed for repainting "was not even going to get us a crosswalk," adding that officials are exploring something "more like of an an endowment so that we can continue this in town and maintain it."

Who decides

Members debated what treating art as government speech means. "Putting it in the realm of government speech means we have to approve it," one member said. Another said the idea is that board members are "acting as an elected official to accept that speech as the town's position," and that voters can hold them accountable for those choices.

Members also discussed whether to set a minimum time a crosswalk design would stay in place, with one suggesting the board set a timeline when it approves each design.

Earlier, during public comment, a resident asked that if the town repaints the rainbow crosswalks, it also consider crosswalks with an autism symbol in April, which is Autism Awareness Month. "I can't afford to pay for a whole crosswalk," the resident said.