Thread: City not quick to rename street in honor of Cesar Chavez

City not quick to rename Industrial Boulevard in honor of César Chávez


02:00 PM CDT on Saturday, June 7, 2008
By RUDOLPH BUSH / The Dallas Morning News
rbush@dallasnews.com

The results of a Dallas City Council-sponsored poll to rename Industrial Boulevard were released late Friday and, by an overwhelming margin, voters chose César Chávez Boulevard.

The choice to name the road for the legendary civil-rights activist who agitated on behalf of farm workers but had scant ties to Dallas is certain to stir yet more controversy over the long-disputed Trinity River project.
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How people voted (pdf.)
At City Hall on Friday, officials who at one time saw the Internet and telephone poll as a way to engage the public in the Trinity toll road and park plan were tight-lipped and seemingly nervous about the results.

And in the past week, several council members have downplayed the poll's importance in the effort to find a new, more glamorous name for Industrial, a road known more for its bars and bail bond shops than the river it winds along.

Reached Friday evening, council member Dave Neumann, who leads the city's Trinity River Corridor Project committee, declined to reveal what name won the city's poll, saying he hadn't seen the final figures.

But he stressed he always wanted the road named for something that reflected the Trinity.

"This was not a contest. This was a public survey. The process was not scientific," he said.

Scientific or not, the name of César Chávez scored an overwhelming victory.

The final votes were cast last week, but the city staff took several days to cull votes that they determined came from people who voted repeatedly.

Of the 20,594 votes counted for six name choices, Chávez received 10,710 votes, or 52 percent.

The next highest vote winner was Riverfront Boulevard, which managed 3,873 votes, or less than 19 percent.

The name of U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson – the only name of an individual besides Chávez that was considered in the poll – received 936 votes, or less than 5 percent.

The vote results were not officially released to council members until late Friday, when they received their weekly packets on upcoming briefings.

But some council members seemed to have a sense the poll wasn't going as planned.

Earlier this week, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway dismissed the idea of naming the street for an individual, and said that, like Mr. Neumann, he always intended to name it for a natural feature.

But some of the council's Hispanic members have signaled they may feel differently.

Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia said Friday night that she thinks the city should honor the Chávez selection.

"All along we said we were going to put it up for a public vote, and the public has spoken," she said. "I have said I would support what the voters want."

Other council members, including Steve Salazar and Pauline Medrano, could not be reached Friday to comment on the results.

Mr. Salazar said earlier Friday that he had received messages from constituents in support of Mr. Chávez's name and for names that reflect natural feature.

But he added that he believed the results of the poll should be given consideration.

"We want [the public] to feel involved and engaged," he said.

Ms. Medrano said that regardless of the outcome of the poll, she will have to give careful consideration to her decision.

The feelings of many council members are likely to get a full airing Tuesday, when the council's Trinity River Corridor Project committee is scheduled to meet for a staff briefing on the poll results and the renaming process for Industrial.

At that meeting, the committee is scheduled to select a name for the street. Whether that will happen given the likely controversy over the poll results remains to be seen.

The full council is slated to select a final name June 25. That name would replace Industrial in June 2009.

Mr. Neumann acknowledged that disagreement among council members is possible, but he downplayed that potential, calling the renaming of Industrial a collaborative process.

The city's Trinity River project staff is likely to have a say in that collaboration as well.

And according to an advance briefing released along with the poll results Friday, the staff appears ready to urge the council to select a name other than César Chávez.

A new name for Industrial should "capture this remarkable time for Dallas" and "connect the spirit and goals of the Trinity River Corridor Project to Dallas," the briefing stated.

It was unclear Friday exactly who conceived of the poll and why it was executed the way it was – questions that are certain to be asked at City Hall in coming days.

Mr. Neumann, whose committee blessed the poll, said it wasn't created by the council and that its methodology was devised by the city staff.

He added that he feels confident that, ultimately, a majority on the council will choose a name for Industrial that is in line with the Trinity project.

But he allowed there's always the possibility they won't.

"It's not final until a vote is taken," he said.


Why in the he_ _ would we name a street after this man is a mystery to me , there are a lot of war hero`s that deserve it more


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 4e3f3.html

I met Cesar Chavez and got to speak with him after an event. He was trying to get another boycott of California lettuce going to press union demands. He had said that only some of the lettuce growers were on board. So I asked him which ones so that if I wanted to I could buy those. He said that people are not able to remember things like that boycott them all, there is enough demand if the California supermarkets only buy those. I was not impressed he felt that his followers among consumers were dumb. Also he felt that a secondary boycott of California supermarkets stocking the non signatories was more acceptable. Any supermarket has thousands of SKUs and hundreds of suppliers. Each work force of a supplier has equal human value. Use of a secondary boycott has the potential of turning a store into a political morass.