Local pols have been blathering on for years about naming a street after Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy. Since right after he won the Super Bowl, in fact. But nothing ever got done.
Well, this looks like the Summer of Mike!
The Village of Ashwaubenon has stepped forward and proposed Potts Avenue become Mike McCarthy Way (or just McCarthy Way). That appears to be a much better solution than renaming Ashland Avenue for McCarthy.
That proposal, which surfaced last summer, was pretty much D.O.A. Ashland Avenue runs through Ashwaubenon, Green Bay and De Pere. Not only did three municipalities have to agree, but a whole bunch of businesses along that street had to not complain.
That didn’t happen.
Potts Avenue is a much smaller street and it lies entirely in Ashwaubenon. So only one municipality and a lot less business owners to appease.
The next step is a public hearing, which will be held July 22. After that, the village board can put the proposal to a vote.
Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, who originally proposed the idea of a Mike McCarthy street, makes it sound like this latest proposal is pretty much a done deal.
“We’ve been working for some time on this,”he said. “Coach McCarthy needs to be honored. He’s not only a great coach, he’s great for the community. It’s nice to get it done.
“With Ashland Avenue, you get into some politics. You are dealing with three municipalities and the state. That may work for some areas to change a major thoroughfare, but here there were some objections. This seems to work out for everyone, and I think it’s a great thing.”
Of course, if we’ve learned anything from this process, we know it’s only a done deal when it’s a done deal.
On a side note, our suggestion of naming the street Buffoon Avenue is apparently off the table.