Several cities and towns across the Valley will consider requests to officially memorialize conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed by a gunman last month.
Fountain Hills Vice Mayor Allen Skillicorn asked the council to consider building a statue to Kirk at a meeting last week. A similar effort backed by Skillicorn and Town Councilwoman Hannah Larrabee to rename the town’s community center after Kirk failed to gain traction last month, but this time the council agreed to consider Skillicorn’s request.
Mayor Gerry Friedel says the item likely won’t make it onto an agenda until next year due to a backlog of items the council needs to address at upcoming meetings.
The Scottsdale City Council will also discuss whether it wants to look into constructing a Kirk memorial at a meeting next week.
According to the agenda for the Nov. 3 meeting, the Scottsdale council can vote to add the item to an agenda for a future meeting or ask city staff to investigate the proposal further and deliver a report to the council.
The Phoenix City Council will consider a citizen petition at its meeting on Wednesday that asks it to rename a Seventh Street bridge near Chase Field after Kirk. The petition was filed by controversial activist the Rev. Jarrett Maupin.
City staff is recommending the council reject Maupin’s request, according to an agenda for the Oct. 29 meeting.
According to staff, the city rules currently allow for the unofficial renaming of streets with ceremonial signage and require the requesting party to cover all costs to install those signs.
“City staff did not identify any vehicle bridges that have been ceremonially named within the city,” according to the agenda, though city staff identified one pedestrian bridge renamed after former Congressman Ed Pastor before the ceremonial signage rules went into effect.
The Ahwatukee Foothills news reported that Phoenix city staff has already rejected a similar petition to rename a street after Kirk, because the specific roadway identified by Maupin is privately owned.
At the Arizona Legislature, Republicans have also talked about plans to rename a freeway after Kirk.
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