Chicago committee OKs naming plaza for Byrne
A Chicago City Council committee has advanced a plan to name a plaza next to a downtown landmark in honor of former Mayor Jane Byrne.
Byrne held office from 1979 to 1983. She was the city's first and only female mayor.
Byrne's daughter testified before the finance committee on Tuesday in support of renaming the park next to the Historic Water Tower. It would be called "Jane M. Byrne Plaza." Kathy Byrne says the Michigan Avenue location is special to her mother because she lived nearby while mayor.
In a Tuesday statement, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says Byrne was a trailblazer for women and for the city of Chicago.
The full city council is expected to take up the matter on Wednesday.
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