'Gulf Of Cleveland': Battle To Rename Lake Erie Continues

PENNSYLVANIA — The Lake Erie renaming war continues.

A week after a Pennsylvania lawmaker suggested renaming Lake Erie "Lake Pennsylvania" following President Trump's penchant for giving large bodies of water new monikers, Cleveland city council actually went ahead and renamed a section of the lake

Subscribe

Council this week approved a resolution to rename the portion of Lake Erie that falls within the city's borders the "Gulf of Cleveland." The move was a satirical jab at President Trump arbitrarily and unilaterally deciding to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" and then renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" as the United States trade war with Canada continues.

The measure passed by a 13-1 vote.

"I feel emboldened to take the extraordinary step of renaming Lake Erie as the Gulf of Cleveland today," Cleveland Council Member Kris Harsh said at the meeting.

"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."

Harsh was referring to Pennsylvania state Rep. David Maloney, a Berks County Republican, who recently said he is preparing a resolution asking the president, Congress and the United States Secretary of the Interior to take whatever steps are necessary to rename Lake Erie as Lake Pennsylvania.

"This is Pennsylvania's only Great Lake. Its modern economy and identity are increasingly tied to the boaters, anglers, families and tourists who come to enjoy it" Maloney said.

Maloney had no immediate comment on Cleveland's hijacking of a portion of the lake's name.