Lawmakers Want to Name Road
Near 'The Ralph' After Tim Russert

WASHINGTON -- Buffalo's federal lawmakers said today that they want to rename a portion of U.S. Route 20 in Orchard Park after the late Tim Russert.

Under the proposal, the section of the road that runs near Ralph Wilson Stadium -- home to Russert's beloved Buffalo Bills -- would bear the late television newsman's name.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Brian Higgins said they would introduce a resolution regarding the highway's name on Monday.

"Tim Russert was in every way, Mr. Buffalo," said Schumer, D-N.Y. "With his trademark 'Go Bills' sign-off, Tim Russert showed his pride for the city that made him who he was. He always cared about Buffalo, and when I spoke with him just a few weeks ago he said he would do everything he could to keep the Bills in Buffalo."

Russert's support for the Bills, plus his stature in Washington, make for a good argument that the road be named after him, said Clinton, D-N.Y.

"Anybody who knew Tim Russert found out pretty quickly that he was a Bills fan born and bred," she said. "While this is a small gesture to honor an icon who gave us all so much, we hope that when people drive down Route 20 past Ralph Wilson Stadium, they'll remember the man who never forgot his hometown or his beloved Buffalo Bills."

Higgins, D-Buffalo, agreed. "The passion for Buffalo that Tim demonstrated on a national stage was a source of pride for our city," he said. "It is only fitting that from now on, part of the experience of going to a Bills game will be being reminded of this great Buffalonian."

Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. thanked the lawmakers for the proposal, which he called a "wonderful tribute to a great man."

The resolution would have to be passed by both houses of Congress to become law. The lawmakers did not specify how long a stretch of Route 20 would be renamed or what the exact new name would be.

From The Buffalo News

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