City of Ames Could Be Called Smart Move

The City of Ames could soon be known as the Smart Move or Heartland's Leading Edge; and if both of those don't work out just a Smart Choice.

The Ames City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the tagline "Smart Move" and use "Heartland's Leading Edge" if the first choice cannot be trademarked. "Smart Choice" is a third alternative.

Council member Matthew Goodman said he still really liked “America's Smartland,” another possibility discussed at a previous meeting. It was thrown out after realizing that the word Smartland was in a NOFX song called “Leaving Jesusland.”

Part of the song goes, “We call the Heartland not very Smartland.”

Goodman said he liked having the word smart in the city slogan, because Ames has been named one of the nation's smartest cities. Forbes magazine ranked the town as the sixth smartest in 2008.

Council member Jami Larson said he didn't want to rule out "Heartland's Leading Edge," but said he also liked the first choice because it fit the town's smart theme. They've got smart water and smart trash, he said.

The city also has a Smart Energy program.

The backup choices might be smart on the part of the council.

Susan Gwiasda, Ames public relations officer, said one other city, LaGrange in Georgia, has trademarked "Smart Move." It's possible that a variation on the name like “One Smart Move,” would be acceptable. Since the towns aren't that close, it's possible that just "Smart Move" would be allowed, she said.

Council members decided to the "Heartland's Leading Edge" tagline after city employees  that Council Bluffs uses the tagline “Iowa's Leading Edge.”

Goodman said "Heartland's Leading Edge" might be a “bigger deal” because the city is so close and could be considered an overlapping market.

Gwiasda plans to move forward with the process and report back to the council when she learns whether the choices can be trademarked.