Renaming of Lake Shore Drive may hit roadblock
Any two aldermen can move to “defer and publish,” which delays action for one meeting without explanation. The move is likely to start with downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins.
By Fran Spielman May 26, 2021, 10:17am CDT
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot has made it clear she has “concerns” about the name change. She fears changing the name of Chicago’s most iconic and picturesque boulevard — made famous in song and movies — could hurt marketing of the city and be costly and cumbersome for homeowners and businesses.
“If she’s saying that, that’s a negative undertone to me towards Black people. I don’t know where she gets that from. That tells me that a Black person’s name is not marketable,” Moore said.
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I'm with Lori on this one and it's bullsh*t from Moore to suggest racial issues underlie pushback against the renaming. I'm not one who is normally sentimental towards roadways, but I feel as if there are three main roads that are "iconic" for Chicago: Michigan Avenue (The Mag Mile), State Street, and Lake Shore Drive. Has there been any polling that indicates the majority of Chicago residents approve of renaming Lake Shore Drive? Assuming the City Council ultimately follows through with this renaming, is it possible to place it on the ballot for next year?
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