Charlie Kirk Way Proposal Pulled From Longview City Council Agenda—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

Maple Street will keep its name. Last night, the Longview City Council voted 5-2 to remove a proposal to rename a portion of the roadway in front of Lower Columbia College as Charlie Kirk Way from the agenda. 

Councilmembers Erik Halvorson and Keith Young, who introduced the proposal, were the only two to oppose removing it. Halvorson had previously said in a Facebook post that he supported the change because of Kirk’s mission to “protect the First Amendment and ensure free speech thrives on college campuses.” However, both Halvorson and Young remained silent on the matter during the meeting.

The motion to strike the item came from Mayor Spencer Boudreau.

The issue drew dozens of speakers during public comment, the vast majority of whom were against naming the roadway after Kirk. Many felt that Kirk promoted polarizing partisan rhetoric, had no ties to the area, and that the cost burden on LCC would be too much. Some residents even said they admired Kirk but felt renaming the street was not the right way to honor him.