St. Louis Board of Alderman Poised to Approve Obama Boulevard
January 15, 2009 - Delmar Boulevard is expected to be renamed Barack Obama Boulevard. (Max Gersh/P-D)
St. LOUIS -- Get ready to take a ride on Obama Boulevard.
Days before the presidential inauguration in Washington, St. Louis aldermen arepoised to designate one of the city's busiest streets in honor of the new
commander in chief.
Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis, from downtown to the Loop shopping district,
would be designated in honor of Barack Obama in a plan eligible for final
approval today.
Though some at City Hall initially called the honor premature, the move now
appears to have enough support to pass. Mayor Francis Slay's office has said
that, if it is approved, he will sign the bill into law.
"It's about our accomplishment as a country," said Alderman Kacie Starr
Triplett, an early Obama fan who led the street push. "The country united to
elect Barack Obama. That's worthy of a symbolic designation."
The label would be purely ceremonial. On maps and other official documents, the
street name would remain Delmar. Signs would be placed at six intersections
along the street noting its twin designation as Barack Obama Boulevard. The
portion of the street that extends west into St. Louis County would be
unaffected.
While several aldermen expressed reluctance about honoring Obama before he even
moves into the White House, only one alderman, Stephen Conway from the city's
Shaw neighborhood, vocally opposed the measure.
His gripe?
That, to his knowledge, the nation's first Catholic president, John F. Kennedy,
hasn't been given a similar honor.
"I am not aware of a JFK Boulevard here in the city of St. Louis," said Conway,
who also is Catholic.
Conway was also miffed at the selection of Delmar — a north-south boundary that
at times has represented racial division — to honor Obama.
"The people here in the city of St. Louis voted for change to get rid of that
mind-set that we must have this demarcation," Conway said at last week's board
meeting.
Conway's concerns, however, were swept away by calls not to let the debate over
an honorary street designation — one of the most common types of legislation
heard by aldermen — get consumed by racial politics.
In St. Louis, scores of notables have byways named after them: Cardinals icons
Stan Musial and Jack Buck have streets downtown, while lesser known pastors and
public servants have been recognized in their neighborhoods.
Nationwide, St. Louis would join at least one other city — the South Florida
community of Opa-locka — to name a street for the new president.
On Delmar, the push was greeted warmly by store owners, who welcomed the extra
recognition in tough economic times.
But Dennis Williams, who owns FiFi's, a "punk" clothing store, does have one
concern — that shoppers on "Obama Boulevard" won't get lost looking for his
address, which will officially remain on Delmar near Skinker Boulevard.
"I have no problem with it," Williams said Thursday, "as long as people can
find me."
jwagman@post-dispatch.com | 314-622-3580
3 comments:
SAINTTTTTTTTTTTT LOUISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
We are the show me state! Too bad they want to name a street after him but they couldnt vote for him.... wackness.
I just cleaned it up.
Hmm...I don't know if that is a reason to visit Saint Louis...but I will say there are merits to living in a city where your reps are black. Ish like this gets passed ASAP!
Good job STL.
thanks for the html cleanup, kis... i could see the code but wasnt sure where it ended/began!
and while this is not a reason to plan a NEW trip to saint louis, it is going to make the nostalgia of our April decent on the city even more multifaceted!!!
to be honest, the only reason i really care is because that part of the loop is like home...if they;d done it anywhere else, I'd have less butterflies...maybe none
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