One of the reasons that honorifics like naming buildings and streets are reserved for the dead is because of exactly what we are seeing here. There can be no claim to an objective assessment of Mayor Sayles Belton's career when that career ended less than nine months ago. This is exactly the same situation that I complained about when the Colin Powell Center was proposed, only then I was accused off-line of just being partisan.
There is a wealth of deserving people, long retired or deceased, who could be honored by having a boulevard named for them. Our recent, living, and still quite vital, ex-mayor is not the best choice. Loki Anderson Marshall Terrace [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- phaedrus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> I support naming the Boulevard after Sharon > Sayles > >> Belton! She, in my opinion, was a great mayor. > She > >> pushed Minneapolis into a period of redevelopment > > >> and growth, and, I believe, it is about time that > a > > >> woman was honored BEFORE a man. > > > > Not only was she the first African American woman > > mayor, but she had MANY accomplishments! > > And the majority of voters in the last election > decided they did not want her as mayor any longer. > > If SSB had retired from office, I'd be more likely > to > support the idea, but in this case, over half the > voters who use that road will be people who chose > not > to vote for her. Some of those people will be > people > who really disliked some of the things she did in > office - for them going down a road named after her > will be somewhat of an irritant. > > I believe that it would be best to use one of the > other two names on this project. > > If Belton's supporters want something named after > her, > they can go ahead and raise the funds to do so. > Maybe > you can help the community garden folks and buy some > land to give to the neighborhood as "The Sharon > Sayles > Belton Community Garden". Or if not a garden, a > community center, or a clinic, or whatever. No > sarcasm intended, I think it'd be a cool thing to do > if you want to honor her. > > - Jason Goray > NE > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better > http://health.yahoo.com > _______________________________________ > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic > Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls ===== But me, I'm still on the road Headin' for another joint We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue. -Bob __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
