The Portland City Council has voted unanimously to rename 39th Avenue NE in honor of Cesar Chavez, resolving a two-year debate in the city. I, for one, am deeply offended. Not because I have anything against Chavez, about whom I know very little and assume was a swell chap. I’m offended that we pay the members of our city council salaries of more than $90,000 a year to pat themselves on the back for doing things like renaming 39th Avenue.
Prediction: Decades from now, Portlanders will take more pride in having “Simpsons” characters named after their streets than in having streets named after historical figures. And I’ll drink a Duff to that!
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, bartender, cocktail consultant, and magician in Portland, Oregon. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in the print or online editions of The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, The Oregonian, and other publications.
Wow, your city council makes a hell of a lot more than Atlanta City Council members….they make around $40,000. Of course, ACC’s supposed to be a part time job. Emphasis on the “supposed to” and its inconsistent relationship to reality.