At a recent Council Meeting, Charlottesville decided on a name for its section of what has been known, through a long and contentious history, as the Meadowcreek Parkway. The vote was three to two, and the deciding vote seems to have been that of Council member Szakos, so we sent her the following inquiry:

As to the naming of the Parkway in the City:

Based on the account in the Daily Progress, we see that you voted for "John W. Warner Parkway," as the road is now named in the County. Rumor has it that the major alternative was to honor Mr. McIntire.

We'd be delighted if you could give us your view of the naming issues, and the basis for your vote.

Dave Sagarin
Senior Editor

I wasn't thrilled about either choice; I would have preferred it if both the City and the County portions could have been called the Meadowcreek Parkway, as it was originally planned. I couldn't support naming the road McIntire, after the man who donated the park "for the recreation and enjoyment of the white people of Charlottesville" and erected the Confederate generals in downtown parks, despite the fact that he did some good things for the city.

I felt that "Warner" as a name would rub salt in the wound of folks who opposed the parkway and lost their battle when Senator Warner found funding for the interchange. McIntire and Warner each had two votes, and the contractor needed to start putting up signage so the road could open, so I elected to vote for Warner to break the tie.

Kristin