Says Recent Events In Virginia Show Need To Reconsider The Issue

In March of 2017, Nevada State Senator Tick Segerblom (D) introduced legislation to change the name of McCarran International Airport. At the time, Segerblom said that Senator Patrick McCarran, for whom the airport is named, championed racist and anti-semitic ideas.

The bill did not pass.

But in light of recent events in Charlottesville, VA, Senator Segerblom (pictured) has renewed his call to rename the airport, according to a report from television station KSNV. "This city is now majority minority city, we are very proud of our ethnic background. People come here from all over the world, and to think that they come into an airport that is named after somebody who is openly racist and Anti-Semitic is wrong," he said.

According to Wikipedia, McCarran, a Democrat, served four terms in the U.S. Senate from 1933 to 1954. He had a major influence on aviation safety regulations, and the airport was named in his honor in 1941. But he was also a strong anti-communist, and sponsored the McCarran-Walter Act to impose strict restrictions and quotas on immigrants entering the U.S.

Earlier this year, the three Democratic members of the Nevada delegation to the U.S. House suggested in a letter that McCarran's statue be removed from Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. In the letter to Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and state legislative leaders, Reps. Dina Titus, Ruben Kihuen and Jacky Rosen said "While he fought for workers' rights and helped shape the country's aviation industry, McCarran left a legacy of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism."

Now, Segerblom thinks it is really relevant right now to look at things like the statue in Charlottesville and McCarran airport and see if we can show the world that we are moving forward.”

U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) said that the decision should be left up to airport officials.

(Official Photo)

FMI: www.leg.state.nv.us, Original Story