LETTERS: NAMING RIGHTS COULD BE SOLD FOR NEW BRIDGE

To the editor:

The tragic demise of Gov. Mel Carnahan gave birth to the idea that the new Mississippi River Bridge bear his name rather than that of the late Congressman Bill Emerson. Naming the bridge after both of these revered public servants is not without precedence.

This competition between two worthy nominees presents us with an opportunity to question the practice of naming public or semi-public edifices. Why should the bridge be named after either of these individuals?

Yet naming the bridge after a deceased public employee could be very costly to their former employers, the taxpayers. In recent years it has become popular and profitable to sell the naming rights of sports venues such as the TWA Dome.

Consider the Savvis Center, home of the St. Louis Blues. Originally the St. Louis Municipal Auditorium, it was renamed to honor a former mayor, Henry Kiel. This moniker survived the largely privately financed rebuilding several years ago and only recently began to earn revenue through the sale of its name.

While the naming rights of the new bridge may not attract bids as generous as those for the sports palaces in St. Louis, what's the harm in finding out? If only enough were raised to fill the inevitable potholes, this is money that would not have to come from the motorists and taxpayers. Would not any public servant sacrifice a perk to smooth the road for his constituency?

PETE KERR

Cape Girardeau