George W. Bush Sewage Plant?

July 23, 2008 — -- Some presidents are forever memorialized with a marble statue, a reflecting pool, perhaps the renaming of an airport. But for others?

One San Francisco group has decided that the current president deserves to be memorialized by a sewage plant. And they have gathered enough signatures to put an initiative on November's ballot to rename a local plant the "George W. Bush Water Pollution Control Plant."

Naturally there are already plans for other honors in George W. Bush's name. There will be a a presidential library in Dallas, and an elementary school here and there. Perhaps more. But a sewage plant?

That's neither marble, nor customary.

President Bush may have the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco to thank for his first landmark memorial.

The rather facetious, official-sounding organization was hatched over some beers by San Francisco architect Michael Jacinto and technology entrepreneur Brian McConnell.

"We wanted to find some way to most appropriately sum up President Bush's years in office," said McConnell, "and this idea spoke to us like none other. It is ironic and comical on so many levels."

Thanks to McConnell and Jacinto's grassroots efforts, San Francisco voters will be asked in November to authorize the renaming of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant.

Having received light opposition from both liberals who don't want to see George W. Bush's name written in stone anywhere, and right-wingers who think the ballot measure a disrespectful hoax, the organization hasn't received any heavy institutional resistance.

Tony Winnicker, spokesman for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, said he found the plant a rather odd choice, although he "totally appreciates" the humor and satire.

The Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant won the 2004 EPA Plant of the Year Award and offers "extraordinary environmental benefits," according to Winnicker, who said the name-change would cost the city $50,000 in signage changes.

"We just hope that when voters consider this in November, they ask themselves if the $50,000 is best spent renaming this environmentally conscious plant after the current president, or better protecting the ocean and our city streets?"

McConnell and Jacinto acknowledge the prize-winning facility, noting that their ballot initaitive has brought the facility a lot of good press in recent weeks. They add that they have also received signatures of support from plant employees.

The two campaign leaders and their small contingency of supporters have been collecting signatures for the measure for two years, parading the streets in Uncle Sam garb and waving American flags. On July 7 the group turned in 11,999 signatures, well over the 7,186 signatures of registered San Francisco voters required to earn the initiative a slot on the November 4 ballot.

However, Chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party, Howard Epstein thinks there should be rules against putting "frivolous" measures on the ballot.

"It's a ridiculous idea," Epstein said.

"San Francisco already has a reputation nationally of being a city full of nuts and all this does is reinforce that idea. It's a waste of money...and it is just frivolous."

Still, McConnell and Jacinto are optimistic about their November chances, citing a San Francisco Business Times poll that showed the measure ahead by a 2-1 margin among San Francisco voters.

McConnell likened the use of satire to editorial cartoons, explaining that comedy has helped spark discussion around serious issues since the Revolutionary War.

"When President Bush leaves office, whoever the next person is will have a huge cleanup operation on their hands," explained McConnell, "and that is not a funny subject."

McConnell and Jacinto aim to set a precedent, and dole out an ego check for politicians.

"Most politicians are narcissistic egomaniacs," said McConnell. "They tend to write their own history and we are trying to preemptively memorialize the president before he starts whitewashing his history. We want the citizens of this city to weigh in on Bush's legacy."

Come January 20th, if there is a new George W. Bush water treatment plant in San Francisco, many supporters plan to simultaneously send greetings to the plant with a "synchronized flush." Nothing like gushing raw sewage to show a little affection.