# City government embarrassed to name building after former mayor Harry Baals. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078 "2011-02-11T23:33:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/1 "2011-02-11T23:33:12Z")
I’m sorry I can’t stop snickering. Anyway the city of Fort Wayne Indiana recently put up an online poll to help to decide who to name a local building after. The top vote getter thus far: Harry Baals, by a huge margin. So far he’s racked up about 10,000 votes. The guy in second place has about 500. TPTB, however, aren’t enthused. > [@](#): > > Despite garnering far more support in an online poll than the thicket of other suggestions, residents shouldn’t expect Fort Wayne’s new government center to be named after one of the city’s longest tenured mayors. > > Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said naming 200 E. Berry St. the Harry Baals Government Center was “probably not” going to happen. > > “We love Fort Wayne, too,” she said. “We’re not going to make any decisions that look bad”… > > Baals – pronounced “balls” by the then-mayor but “bales” by his descendents – became the Republican nominee for mayor in 1934 and was elected for three successive terms. He returned to politics in 1951 by winning a fourth term but died in office in May 1954. His accomplishments include elevating the railroads in town and negotiating the contract with the Army to establish Baer Field as an air base. [http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110208/LOCAL/302089963/1021/EDIT](http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110208/LOCAL/302089963/1021/EDIT) [http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110209/LOCAL/110209453](http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110209/LOCAL/110209453) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/2 "2011-02-11T23:40:39Z")
I liked this, > [@](#): > > “Fort Wayne officials refuse to slap Harry Baals on public building,” screamed The Register of London. “Killjoys scratch handle off erection.” ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/3 "2011-02-13T01:46:53Z")
I wonder if they’ll name their concert venue Beaden-Hoff Arena. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/4 "2011-02-13T01:58:17Z")
I blame Harry’s parents. What? Had actual hairy balls not yet been invented in the 19th century? Why didn’t they just go ahead and give him “Swinging” for a middle name while they were at it? ---
**Author:** ![Omerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Omerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omerta)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/5 "2011-02-13T05:10:49Z")
We went out to eat last weekend in Ft Wayne and this was the topic of conversation with a lot of people there. Don’t surprise me with how Ft Wayne names some things. They renamed their baseball team from the “Wizards” to the “Tin Caps”. The name of their basketball team is “Mad Ants”. The concert hall will forever been known by the locals as the “Coliseum”. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/6 "2011-02-13T05:15:09Z")
This story is fantastic. Thanks for the laugh. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/7 "2011-02-13T07:51:04Z")
Hard to believe the Honorable Heywood Jablomey didn’t get a single vote. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/8 "2011-02-13T08:34:08Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Hard to believe the Honorable Heywood Jablomey didn’t get a single vote. He fell into disrepute after his scandalous affair with Amanda Hugnkiss was revealed. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/9 "2011-02-13T14:49:51Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Hard to believe the Honorable Heywood Jablomey didn’t get a single vote. I am a middle-aged woman and, damnit, I still laugh at Heywood Jablomey. And Phil McCracken. And Pat McGroin. My inner 12-year-old boy is alive and well, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/10 "2011-02-13T15:31:22Z")
I wonder if they could just name the building _Harold_ Baals. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/11 "2011-02-13T18:18:45Z")
Thank god he beat Harry Bolstolik. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/12 "2011-02-13T21:11:58Z")
Earlier thread on this: > **[Support for our Baals](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=596442)** > > From the AP: Don’t know what else to say ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-government-embarrassed-to-name-building-after-former-mayor-harry-baals/571078/13 "2011-02-13T22:20:30Z")
If Mayor Baals had a successful political career, ran for reelection etc. without being a laughing stock, then how was his name used on political signs? No way did they print Harry Baals on campaign stickers. Somehow, his name was used in a dignified way. I’d name the building the H. X. Baals building. X being whatever his middle initial is. > [@](#): > > Despite garnering far more support in an online poll than the thicket of other suggestions, residents shouldn’t expect Fort Wayne’s new government center to be named after one of the city’s longest tenured mayors.