Last week, the Maricopa Board of Supervisors quietly considered a request to rename segments of the U.S. 60 the “Governor Rose Mofford Memorial Highway.”
A monument, which proclaims the “Jefferson Davis Highway,” currently sits along the U.S. 60.
It’s the job of the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic names to determine the most appropriate names for places in the state.
So when a member of the public requested that sections of the road be renamed the Governor Rose Mofford Memorial Highway, the agency asked the Board of Supervisors to consider the proposal.
Roberto Reveles made the request. He said he was motivated by the memorial marker that’s in his neighborhood.
"With the public considering it the marker that designates U.S. 60 in memory of Jefferson Davis, and I felt it was not an accurate representation of the history of Arizona," Reveles said.
Reveles also has the support of Democratic Representative Reginald Bolding, who has been calling for the removal of Confederate markers and memorials.
"We want Arizona markers and statues and highways named after those people that are from Arizona that have actually made a contribution to the state," Bolding said.
The Board of Supervisors had no objection to Reveles’ proposed name change.
Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic will meet later this month.
