Cleaveland council passes satiric resolution to rename Lake Erie to 'Gulf of Cleaveland'

Cleaveland council passes satiric resolution to rename Lake Erie to 'Gulf of Cleaveland'. (Photo: Cleaveland.com/TV20)

Inspired by President Donald Trump renaming Lake Ontario and Lake America, a city council has even passed the resolution to rename Lake Erie as the "Gulf of Cleaveland". There was simmering tension over Lake Erie as Pennsylvania state Rep David Maloney proposed renaming Lake Erie as "Lake Pennsylvania" arguing that Pennsylvania has a special claim because it is the state's only Great Lake. Cleaveland council passed the motion in a 13-1 vote after Council member Kris Harsh brought an emergency resolution that is not legally binding. So, the name is not getting changed but no one is taking a backseat when it comes to the renaming spree. Harsh said to Newsweek that he was aware that calling Lake Erie "Gulf of Cleaveland" is shockingly dumb that that's the point. "If everybody gets to rename something, then screw it. We'll make it the Gulf of Cleveland," he said clarifying that he introduced the measure as a satiric response. "It's a convenient distraction for [Trump] to cover up the fact that he started a war that he can't win but we're all losing… Americans need to stop thinking that this is all a joke and start to realize that this is real and I know the constant daily circus distracts people from that reality but that's what I was trying to cut through. I know the Gulf of Cleveland is a stupid idea. I'm fully aware of that," he said. "President Trump's orders to assign new names without reference to history, tradition, and other acts of Congress have opened the door for United States officials to rename other geography," Harsh said. "Thanks to him, this is a man who clearly isn't afraid to say what no one is thinking." "Keep in mind, there's a very real person in Pennsylvania right now who wants to rename it the Lake of Pennsylvania," Harsh said. "We cannot, as Ohioans, let the Pennsylvanians get a jump on us. It's our lake." "I can hear them now, saying, ‘Kris, it’s not even a gulf; it’s a lake,’" Harsh said while presenting the proposal. His response: “Who cares?” The council's satiric resolution even directs Cleveland departments to use “Gulf of Cleveland” in city-generated maps and documents. It also says the city will contact major mapping companies, including Apple and Google, asking them to reflect the new name. “Sometimes when things get so absurd, you just kind of got to poke a little fun at how ridiculous they’ve got,” he said after the vote. He added that the measure took about 15 minutes and cost the city nothing.