The family and coworkers of Staff Sgt. James McNaughton, 25, the first NYPD police officer killed in Iraq, who was based in Tribeca, hoped to co-name the street he worked on in his honor. Community Board 1 has prevented this. Their vote prevents City Council from hearing the matter.
“James McNaughton Way” would have been the part of West Broadway between Lispenard and Canal Streets if the Community Board 1 had voted “yes.”
The vote left Sgt. McNaughton’s mother in tears.
“To me, hopefully, somebody looks up on the pole at Lispenard and West Broadway and sees McNaughton. Who’s that kid?” Bill McNaughton told Carl Glassman of the Tribeca Trib. “They Google it. They find out who the kid is. That’s all I want. That’s all we’re looking for. I didn’t think that’s too hard to do.”
Those members of the board voting against the co-naming either said that the sign pole is too crowded now or disapprove of all street co-namings and say there should be other ways to honor people.
Local City Council member Margaret Chin’s chief of staff told the Trib, “We’ll be urging the community board to reconsider the resolution if possible,” he said.
