Switchgear Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A former Indiana mayor who won four terms in the 1930s and 1950s is proving less popular with modern-day city leaders, who say they probably won't name a new government center for him because of the jokes his moniker could inspire.Harry Baals is the runaway favorite in online voting to name the new building in Fort Wayne, about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis. But Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said that probably won't be enough to put the name of the city's longest-tenured mayor on the center. The issue is pronunciation. The former mayor pronounced his last name "balls." His descendants have since changed it to "bales." Supporters said it's unfair that the former mayor can't be recognized simply because his name makes some people snicker. But opponents fear that naming the center after Baals would make Fort Wayne the target of late-night television jokes. "We realize that while Harry Baals was a respected mayor, not everyone outside of Fort Wayne will know that," Malloy said Tuesday in a statement to The Associated Press. "We wanted to pick something that would reflect our pride in our community beyond the boundaries of Fort Wayne." An online site taking suggestions for names showed more than 1,000 votes Tuesday for the Harry Baals Government Center. That's more than three times the votes received by the closest contender. Jim Baals, 51, who has lived in the city his entire life, said it's unfortunate that his great-uncle's name won't be considered for the building. "Harry served four terms and was a wonderful mayor. I don't know what the problem is," he said. "I understand people are going to poke fun at it. That's OK. I've lived with that name for 51 years now and I've gotten through it. I think everybody else can, too." City spokesman Frank Suarez said the city has no regrets about opening the name selection up to people online. "It is a new way of reaching out to the community," he said. "The fact that 17,000 votes have come in tell us the buzz created by this is really good. When was the last time somebody could say they had fun with their government? We've had fun with this." Suarez told The Journal Gazette that Mayor Tom Henry will meet with local groups and choose from up to 10 finalists from the suggestions submitted. Online voting ends Friday. ___ Online: http://www.feedbackfortwayne.org/forums/96987-name-our-building Harry Baals. Ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 :rotflmao: I got to his name in the 2nd paragraph and lost it. 2 thoughts: 1. This is what you get when you allow online voting, when will people learn? 2. Late night television bringing light to this would also bring your town free publicity, so you'd benefit from that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 You think Harry would have learned, and not named his son Jimmy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 4XMr3QO2Sbc A classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conn Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My girlfriend's uncle is named Richard Bagge....so, of course, his whole life he's been called "Dick Bagge". That's what this made me think of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 :rotflmao: I got to his name in the 2nd paragraph and lost it. Same here. What makes it even funnier is how he chooses to pronounce his last name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HailGreen28 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 huh huh huh you said balls huh huh huh Here in eastern NC, guys love to go to Morehead City, and girls love to visit Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (say it slowly, if you don't get it). Re: The former mayor: Big deal. Such notoriety is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grego Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Same here. What makes it even funnier is how he chooses to pronounce his last name. ya, you'd have to change the pronunciation if that was your last name. harold "bales" is something you could get by with. harry 'balls' is just not going to cut it. not sure its a bad as 'dick trickle' though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spec138 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Great name My great-grandpa's name was Ben Gamblin. Always made me chuckle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I had to stop after the second paragraph. The people in the Computer Lab were giving me funny looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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