Street Fight
Petition gains steam to keep George W. Bush name off Central Expressway
The life of a Internet petition can go in so many different directions. But a March 14 missive against the renaming of Central Expressway is barreling ahead with more than 8,500 signatures.
Author Harold Carmichael III is protesting a recent bill by Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas) that would re-christen a seven-mile portion of U.S. Highway 75 as President George W. Bush Expressway. Dubya's presidential center, which is slated to open in May, will be located along the route in question.
To rename this historic stretch of road after a president who has done little if anything significant for this city ignores our local history and compromises our integrity. Bush may live here now, but he should not have everything in town named after him just because he does.
Carmichael is not alone in his fight, and his SignOn.org compatriots are vocal in their support of banning the bill.
Jo Adams, who grew up in Allen but now resides in Arkansas, signed the petition on March 26. Although she's not in favor of renaming the highway after Bush, she could get onboard with a different branding choice.
"Why not Willie Nelson instead?" she asks.
Janet Fix of Carrollton raises a familiar argument about the practicality of such a name change in a city where the Bush name is already everywhere.
"We already have the George Bush Tollway. It would be confusing to have two roads with the same name," Fix says.
A poll on WFAA's website shows that 88 percent of nearly 2,000 respondents are opposed to the name change.
The petition started with a goal of 400 signatures but now hopes to gather 10,000.
