Washington County Drops Plans for Charlie J. Kirk Way

Charlie Kirk speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Gage Skidmore, (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Washington County is dropping a proposal that would have renamed a local highway in honor of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In an announcement reported by multiple news outlets, County Board Chair Jeffrey Schleif said cost was the driving factor behind the decision.

Kirk, who led Turning Point USA, was shot dead last year during a speaking event in Utah.

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann had said previously he wanted to honor Kirk and private donations could cover the estimated $50,000 costs of signage for a memorial highway. The stretch of road would have been renamed “Charlie J. Kirk Way.”

But the proposal met fierce opposition when it was considered at a county board committee meeting earlier this month, with some questioning why the county would honor someone without local ties. Schieff previously said he had received more than 250 emails and phone calls against the measure.

In a written statement reported by WTMJ-TV Friday, Schleif said the actual cost of the name change would have been higher than previously known.

“While we wish the process had gone smoother, this matter is no longer under consideration,” Schleiff said.

Washington County drops plans for Charlie J. Kirk Way was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.