N.J. town erupts after council votes to rename Kennedy Center as the Obama Center

8/17/2014

** FILE ** This Jan. 11, 1962, file photo shows President John F. Kennedy giving his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo, File) more >

The governing body of one New Jersey town voted in favor of renaming the local Kennedy Center after the current White House head — and calling it the Barack Obama Center — and some residents aren’t exactly happy.

Philly.com reported that the renaming came at the request of Willingboro Township Mayor Jacqueline Jennings, after she recalled how the black population in the region reacted with excitement at the campaign and election of Mr. Obama.

“I think that people have a sense of pride about him,” she told Philly.com. “We had so many new people register to vote, people who had never voted before, people who were disenfranchised. … All of a sudden, we had … people wrapping around the buildings when the polls opened. It was a sense of history. Everybody wanted to be a part of it.”

But plenty of local residents are upset at the town council’s name change.

Kristina Darlin wrote on the Burlington County Times Facebook page: “What’s next — naming malls after terrorists since he negotiates with them!! What a disgrace to America!!”

Lindsey Rotteau wrote, The Blaze reported: “The only place his name should appear is in school textbooks stating he was the worst president in our history. The only CHANGE he made was making people not be proud to be an American!”

Meanwhile, graduates of the former John F. Kennedy High School expressed outrage over the name change, too.

“This is an outrage and shouldn’t even be considered,” wrote Karen Lydon, The Blaze reported. “The name should stay the way it is now honoring President Kennedy!”

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