CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago City Council’s Transportation Committee has voted to change the name of Outer Lake Shore Drive to honor Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the city’s founding father. But tempers flared ahead of the vote.
There appeared to be enough votes to approve naming Outer Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable; so the sponsor, 17th Ward Alderman David Moore, and allies like Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, were angered when the Lightfoot Administration attempted to amend the Dusable Drive ordinance to make it clear that only the Outer Drive express route was being rename - not the residential part forcing address changes.
He questioned the last minute move.
"We shouldn't be here - get to the point where we are playing those types of games," Ald. Moore said.
"Folks have been coming to testify to this, if I am not mistaken, for the last year and a half about naming this drive, and so this is very disrespectful to Alderman Moore and Alderwoman King," said Alderwoman Taylor.
Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi apologized, saying it was a legal clarification.
"The attempt was to simply create the legal language that would support what Alderman Moore was putting forth. That was the intent. It sounds like we missed the mark on some of the extents, we missed the mark on making sure it was circulated properly," she said.
When tempers cooled Alderwoman Sophia King made a suggestion.
"You know, kind of this last minute stuff and everything that is going on, I would suggest that we pass the ordinance as my colleague introduced it, and then let's clean up some of the things between now and Council," she said.
There will be some work before the full City Council votes next month.
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