Kearney: Name lateral after President Obama

Democratic State Senator Eric Kearney is term-limited out, but there's one more thing he wants to do: Designate a portion of State Route 562 the "Barack Obama Norwood Lateral Highway."

Kearney, D-North Avondale, introduced a bill Thursday to do just that.

Kearney suggested Obama has met the same criteria as the other president who has a highway named after him in Hamilton County. State Route 126 has been called the Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway since the 1990s—an honor bestowed on the former President while he was still alive, Kearney said.

"President Obama, like President Reagan, won Hamilton County twice and was a two-term President," said Kearney, an Obama friend and fund raiser. "Such accomplishments deserve recognition."

It didn't take long for Democrat Norwood Mayor Tom Williams -- whose city the lateral cuts though -- to speak out against idea.

To Hamilton County Board of Commissioners President Chris Monzel, a Republican, he wrote: "I, in no uncertain terms, vehemently oppose the change of the name of the Norwood Lateral... I hope to receive your support in this matter."

To Kearney, he wrote: "At this time I cannot support this bill. In the future, history will judge whether or not the president has made the impact that would qualify and rate the renaming of a highway after him."

A message to Republican Ohio Senate President Keith Faber's office was not returned.

The Norwood Lateral Highway runs east to west for approximately 3.5 miles between I-71 and I-75 within the cities of Norwood and Cincinnati.

Kearney represents Ohio's 9th District, which includes parts of Cincinnati, St. Bernard, Elmwood Place, Norwood, Golf Manor, Columbia Township, Silverton and Springfield Township.

If Kearney is successful, it won't be the first road named after the 44th president. Florida has three roads named after Obama and Illinois and California each have one. Even Tanzania has one.