Mayor wants St. Pat's declared federal holiday
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| Callie, 11, and Andrew Tribley, 8, of Rock Falls watch as the Rock River is dyed green to start of Dixon's St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday afternoon. (Alex T. Paschal - SVN) |
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DIXON – The mayor and a majority of city commissioners want a holiday.
Mayor Jim Burke sent a letter to three federal leaders: Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris, and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster. In it, he asked Congress to recognize March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – as a federal holiday.
“It is celebrated as a holiday now by millions of Americans every year, so it seems like it should be officially recognized as such,” the mayor wrote. “Can you help?”
The request came after the council voted 3-1 in favor of the proposal at its meeting March 16.
“Yeah, I’m serious, Clark,” Burke told a smiling Commissioner Ira “Clark” Kelly at the meeting.
The idea was “hatched up” by Burke and Commissioner Dave Blackburn during the city’s weekend St. Patrick’s Day celebration, Burke said.
Commissioner Ralph Contreras, the last to weigh in, cast the sole “no” vote amid chuckles from his colleagues.
