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The District of Columbia and its more than 600,0000 residents have long sought representation in Congress, hoping to correct what they say was an egregious error by the founding fathers to leave the federal city unable to have a voting member in the House or Senate.
Frustrated, the city is debating whether to rename a stretch of the fabled Pennsylvania Avenue something like "Give D.C. Statehood Avenue" or "Give D.C. Full Democracy Avenue," a move that would obviously call attention to the district's plight.But the city may not stop there.
District Shadow Sen. Paul Strauss, who is elected essentially to lobby for representation in Congress, says the city should think about renaming streets "more strategically" and noted, according to The Washington City Paper, that if a "certain Utah congressman" continues speaking out against D.C. voting rights, then the city should consider renaming Utah Avenue, a quiet street in a tony Northwest Neighborhood.
That congressman, of course, is a reference to Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who opposes allowing the city a vote in the House because the Constitution, he says, doesn't allow it.
If the city went forward with the change, which isn't likely, it would definitely call attention to the issue in Utah, but it may not earn Washington any friends.
-- Thomas Burr
