Seriously, 90% of what City government does could be construed as a waste of time because it isn't a "priority." If our city gets excited about a flag redesign and our city government spends some time on it... great.
Here is a guide/opinion on what makes a good city flag, and examples of good and bad:
http://www.citylab.com/design/2011/10/best-and-worst-city-flags/267/Thank you for posting your opinion and the good/bad municipal flag link, cannon_fodder!
As I mentioned in my first reply on this topic, about an hour after Nik's initial post, I might submit a flag design. I haven't decided yet, but I'm considering it.
Before I watched the TED talk video, I looked for examples of municipal flags for a few American and European cities I've enjoyed visiting. In my opinion, the goodness or badness of a city's flag didn't necessarily correlate to the quality of the city itself (in my small selection set).
The first flag I wanted to see was San Francisco's. I've been to San Francisco several times, but I'd never noticed the municipal flag. It's blah. I agree that a simplified phoenix design, similar to the example shown in the video, would be a great improvement.
The second flag I wanted to see was Portland, Oregon's. I've been to Portland so many times that I've lost count, and, until yesterday, I'd never paid any attention at all to Portland's flag. Nik's topic here is what prompted me to look for Portland's flag design. In my opinion, it's a good design. It's interesting. Now, after seeing Portland's flag and evaluating it, my opinion of Portland hasn't changed one iota.
I like San Francisco. San Francisco's "bad" flag design doesn't change my opinion about the City of San Francisco.
I like Tulsa. Tulsa's current flag design is okay with me. I don't love it, but I like it.
A thin white flag with the word "TULSA" wouldn't meet one of the rules of good flag design.
Priorities...