Elgin council poised to approve honorary street name for fallen Marine
Elgin plans to rename the 200 block of Melrose Avenue in honor of U.S. Marine Cpl. Alex Martinez, who grew up there and is the only service person from the city to die in combat since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
City council members unanimously approved the honor in a preliminary vote Wednesday night.
"We should never forget his name, Alex Martinez," said Councilwoman Rose Martinez, who is not related to the Marine.
Alex Martinez was 21 when he died in 2012 after a roadside bomb went off during combat operations in Afghanistan. His awards include a Purple Heart medal and a Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal with combat "V" for valor. He left behind a widow, Julianna Martinez, his mother and stepfather, Socorro and Jim Bethke, and three siblings.
The initiative was spearheaded by resident Anthony Ortiz, who said he wanted to honor Alex's memory.
"Alex honored us in the best way he could," Ortiz, a veteran, told the city council. Three other veterans also spoke in support.
Ortiz submitted an application in April for the renaming, including a petition with the support of more than two-thirds of residents of the block and the endorsement of one council member, Corey Dixon, as required by city ordinance.
However, the ordinance also requires applications to be submitted to the city's image commission, which was disbanded last year. The last time streets were honorarily renamed in 2017 - after former Illinois Assistant Attorney General Frederick J. Steffen and retired federal Judge Manuel Barbosa - the image commission recommended approval, with final say by the city council.
Dixon said he felt the initiative to honor of Martinez was getting held up while the city staff worked on a new procedure, so he pushed for a vote Wednesday with support from Councilwoman Tish Powell.
Assistant City Manager Laura Valdez said Thursday city staff members have been researching how other communities honorarily name streets. The plan was to bring the Alex Martinez initiative to the council when a proposal about the new process was completed, she said.
At the council meeting, Ortiz said he was told that city staff members reported "pushback" from some veterans groups about the initiative to single out Alex Martinez.
Valdez said the city reached out to four veterans groups and some "expressed hesitation" about honoring service members with street names, which hasn't happened before in Elgin. Valdez did not name the groups, saying they asked to stay anonymous.
Councilman Toby Shaw said he, too, initially was concerned the renaming might "draw away" from the city's Veterans Memorial Park and would be inconsistent with city practices, but then he changed his mind.
Elgin representatives of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars said Thursday they had no objection.
"Naming a street after a person who died in combat is not out of order," said Don Sleeman, service officer for American Legion Post 57.
Nick Harrington, commander of VFW Post 1307, agreed.
"On behalf of the post, we don't have any concern or hesitation with honoring a fallen comrade," he said. "To have them honored in our city is really a great thing."
A final vote is in two weeks.
A separate effort to rename the U.S. post office in Elgin after Martinez is being lead by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Schaumburg. The bill was filed in March, and the committee on oversight and reform sent it to the U.S. House on June 12. Krishnamoorthi said he expects Congress to approve the bill but the process can be lengthy.