By By MICHAEL C. GUILMETTE JR. / Niles Daily Star
NILES – In a rare show of division, one city council member stood alone Monday evening by opposing renaming the Main Street Bridge as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Council member Robert Durm voted against a resolution of support for the renaming presented to the council, citing objections he has received from the public and a desire to see the bridge honor someone from Niles.
"I would like to see it named after a native son … someone who is from the area," Durm said following the meeting. He added that he believes the city should not be in the bridge-naming business.
Durm also said the calls he received were from people who believe the bridge should be named after someone "important to Niles," and that the bridge is better known by how it is currently addressed.
"It's always been [called] the Main Street Bridge and it will always be the Main Street Bridge to me," Durm said.
The resolution, now approved by the council, will be forwarded to Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, the sponsor of the bill to officially change the bridge's name.
Council members also approved the purchase of a piece of "period furniture" for the Niles City Hall, costing the city $6,000. The council did not identify the piece, but Niles City Administrator Terry Eull said Friday it is a piece from the house the city hall now inhabits.