Lt. Governor BILLY NUNGESSER
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser opposes an effort to name a new I-10 Mississippi River bridge in the Baton Rouge area after President Donald Trump. Nungesser says he has a problem with naming a public structure after a living official.
“Usually, after you’re out of office, people name things after you because of the good you did. But I don’t think it’s right that we’re changing the Kennedy name to the Trump-Kennedy Center or the bridge in Baton Rouge,” Nungesser said.
Nungesser made this comment during an interview with Jim Engster on “Talk Louisiana” on WRKF in Baton Rouge.
Monroe Representative Michael Echols is the author of the House-approved bill that is awaiting debate in the Senate. Echols says if Louisiana passes a law that says the new Mississippi River Bridge will be named after the current president, it raises the chances that the federal government will fully fund the bridge. Despite Echols reasoning, Nungesser does not like the idea.
“There’s too much else to focus on than naming bridges and monuments about a living president, so I’m not in favor of it,” Nungesser said.
The proposal passed the House on a 68-26 vote. It includes an amendment that says if the federal government does not pay for most of the cost of the projected $3 billion bridge, it will not be named after the current president. Nungesser believes the proposal is a way for the author to get attention for his congressional campaign.
“Now, I think that the gentleman that pushed that through is running for congress. So was that done to favor the Trump supporters? I don’t know, but I think it’s something that we don’t need to be doing,” Nungesser noted.
There is a state law that says naming public buildings in honor of a living person is prohibited. But Echols says you can still pass a law mandating that a public building or structure can be named after a living official.
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