CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati City Council passed a motion co-sponsored by Councilmembers Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney and Wendell Young on Wednesday, expressing its support for renaming Reading Road after President Barack Obama.

The project is estimated to cost about $50,000, and the plan is to raise the money for the project privately rather than from a source in the city budget.

Councilmembers Young and Kearney began discussing renaming Reading Road after President Barack Obama several years ago, when Councilmember Kearney was still the publisher at The Cincinnati Herald. Since sharing the idea publicly and following the City Council vote approving of the idea, Kearney’s office received a groundswell of public support for the idea.

Reading Road is a major artery that runs north and south through Cincinnati, getting around 30,000 vehicles a day in some areas, according to traffic counts conducted by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

Councilmember Young’s office initiated the process of proposing the renaming of the street, but soon thereafter, he experienced some serious health issues that required him to recuperate before resuming his duties as councilmember.

When Councilmember Kearney was appointed to City Council earlier this year, one of the items on her office’s agenda was resuming the process that Councilmember Young had started -- to officially rename Reading Road after President Barack Obama. Nevertheless, the agenda item took a back seat to more pressing issues that City Council was required to address first.

However, in July, a young man, Caleb Price, came to City Hall and requested that City Council honor President Barack Obama with the renaming of a city street. Mr. Price’s enthusiasm and drive, not to mention his work in collecting thousands of signatures in support of the renaming, made clear that now is the time to honor our nation’s 44th president, and to let his message of “hope and change” for the betterment of all Americans ring across our city.

Given the cost of the renaming, and the urgent needs of our citizens for City funds during this pandemic, Kearney’s office will work with Mr. Price and other members of the community to raise funds for the renaming project before asking the City to contribute any additional funding.

Councilmember Kearney and Young’s motion provided the political support required for the renaming project. Such approval will not only help with fundraising efforts, but will give notice to existing and new developments which could reduce their expenditures for the address change. Councilmember Kearney and Young will continue to provide updates related to the status of the fundraising efforts and next steps for the renaming.

Councilmembers Kearney and Young extended a special acknowledgement to Mr. Caleb Price for his leadership in being the impetus behind this project and for ensuring that Cincinnati City Council would recognize the importance of shining a bright light in the middle of a storm.

Press Coverage

City Council wants to rename Reading Road after Barack Obama | Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati to rename Reading Road ‘President Obama Avenue’ | FOX19

Part of Reading Road to be renamed President Barack Obama Avenue | WLWT

Renaming Reading Road: Council approves “President Barack Obama Avenue” | WKRC