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A series of possible tributes to former Mayor Jane Byrne were introduced at the City Council Wednesday.

Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, proposed naming the international terminal at O’Hare International Airport, the grand ballroom at Navy Pier or the plaza surrounding Buckingham Fountain after Byrne, who served as mayor from 1979 to 1983.

Burke said he wasn’t trying to name a bunch of city sites after Byrne, but simply suggesting to his colleagues some possibilities. He welcomed other ideas.

“There’s a number of us who are impressed with the need for recognizing the contributions of the one and only female mayor of Chicago,” Burke said.

“I think many believe the time for action is now, that we can’t delay this any further,” he said. “It’s been long overdue.”

Byrne defeated incumbent machine Democrat Mayor Michael Bilandic following Bilandic’s perceived bungling of the city response to the historic blizzard of 1979. After serving one term, Byrne was defeated by Harold Washington in a three-way 1983 Democratic primary that also included then-Cook County State’s Attorney Richard M. Daley.

Burke’s introduction today came after a Chicago newspaper gossip columnist has been beating the drum for weeks about the city’s lack of recognition for Byrne.

Source: Chicago Tribune

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