McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is now being renamed after the county commission weighed in this week on Commissioner Tick Segerblom's motion to rename it, reported News 3 Las Vegas.
The airport was named after Nevada senator Pat McCarran in 1941 when it was just a dusty airstrip. Now, it'll be named for Senator Harry Reid.
One speaker at the meeting on Tuesday morning stated, "Mr. Reid is a man of integrity, honor, and respect."
Another said, "Senator Reid is one of the most effective and distinguished public servants in the history of Nevada."
According to News 3, McCarran wasn't so widely loved. UNLV historian Michael Green said, "He was an anti-Semite and racist, and he acted to put his anti-Semitism into law and government and that is a significant difference."
Some at the meeting opposed the name change. One speaker said, "Then call it the Las Vegas Metropolitan airport- don't put a name on it."
Ultimately, the vote was made for the name to be changed.
Commissioners have stated that the name change will be paid for through private dollars, not public funds.
The new name request is now heading to the Federal Aviation Administration, and it is unclear of how long it will take for the administrative changes to take place.
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