Motorists make their way past potholes along St. Elmo Avenue, which state lawmakers have proposed renaming to Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.Historic St. Elmo Ave. will soon get a few new signs, and some of the people who live there are ticked.
According to state emails, the Tennessee Department of Transportation will put up signs designating the road that connects St. Elmo to Georgia as Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.
At a community meeting in January, County Commissioner Joe Graham broke the news to the community group. It was not well received, and Graham found himself on the defensive.
Graham said Thursday he was only the messenger and had nothing to do with the renaming. Although he did purchase the $300 signs with his County Commission expense money.
Elmo residents had no say in the designation, and many of them oppose it, according to Paige Wichman, president of the Community Association of Historic St. Elmo.
"St. Elmo is sort of a unique community and it seems a little tone-deaf to have the main stretch of road through here named after Ronald Reagan," Wichman said. "We are not really known for voting Republican over here."
City Councilman Chris Anderson, a democrat, called the designation "a terrible example of representative government," and he's calling on the state to reconsider.
In fact, the decision to re-dub the highway came from two Republican state legislators who don't even represent the neighborhood - Rep. Gerald McCormick and former Rep. Vince Dean.
McCormick said in a phone interview today residents just "have the wrong story."
"[St. Elmo Ave.] is not having its name changed it's just designating it as Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway. These happen all over. Rossville Blvd. is George Morgan Parkway on state maps. It's a state highway, and it will just be designated," McCormick said.
Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, who was not in office when the designation passed, also said the St. Elmo Ave. signs would stay up.
"It's just adding a stretch, a plaque in honor of him. They have these all over," Hazlewood said.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.