By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – President-elect Barack Obama won the city of St. Louis by huge margins in November. And several aldermen want to honor his achievement by renaming the city's portion of Delmar Boulevard after the Democrat.
An honorary designation would not change anything officially. Brown signs with the designation will be posted under the official street name.
The six miles of Delmar have long been considered the dividing line between north and south city, which makes it the perfect street with which to honor the first African-American president, said co-sponsor Terry Kennedy.
"It goes through various mixed neighborhoods, mixed economic areas of the city, both a portion of downtown and the central corridor of the city, so it kind of represents the diversity that Obama's campaign constantly pushed and raised up in the minds of America," he said.
Critics say the city should wait until Obama finishes his term in office, a stance Kennedy disagrees with. "The length of time that he stays in the presidency has very little to do with the significance of the fact that he is the first elected African-American president," he said.
The bill must still go through the legislative process before it becomes law.