Republicans on the Oswego County Legislature Monday offered a mild and surprising rebuke of President Donald Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario as he continues to feud with Canada over trade.
Legislators on one committee approved a resolution saying that, out of concern for the cost of changing business names and marketing materials, the county would continue to use the lake's longtime traditional name and not Lake America. The resolution also said that the county respected the President's authority when it comes to federal naming.
Oswego County is one of the reddest counties in the state and a bastion of support for Donald Trump. Republicans have run the legislature uninterrupted for many decades.
Lake Ontario is more than a body of water; it is a large part of the identity of the region. Lake Ontario's name appears in business names, including a convention center in Oswego and as part of the name of its famous fish-fry stand, Rudy's. There's the Lake Ontario Wine Trail and the many marketing flyers, brochures and advertisements created by the county's own tourism department that trade on the name Lake Ontario.
"I just think it's our responsibility to not support that name change," said Republican legislator Patti Holst. "I feel that it's our responsibility to keep expenses at bay, not only for the county, but for our constituents, small businesses, large businesses."
"I was born here, city of Oswego," said Democrat Lee Walker. "I'm going to die here. As far as I'm concerned, it will always, always be Lake Ontario."
A couple of legislators referenced an internet meme being used to support the name change, which shows many traditional names being changed. Many of those were changed to eliminate racist references, such as the renaming of the Washington Redskins football team or name changes for military bases to remove the names of Confederates.
"I am deeply concerned about how this affects our tourism and our trade partners with Canada, such as Novelis. But having said that, lots of names change," said Legislature Chairman Jim Weatherup, who is running for the open state Assembly seat in Oswego County.
One legislator wondered what legislators would do if the Trump administration pressured them to accept the change publicly. The prevailing sentiment, though, was that they’d see what happens and decide then. The resolution now goes to the full Legislature.
