A stretch of Lake Erie within Cleveland’s boundaries has been renamed the "Gulf of Cleveland" in a move designed to mock recent renaming campaigns that have included President Donald Trump's push to rebrand Lake Ontario as "Lake America" and a Pennsylvania Republican's proposal to rename Lake Erie itself. The motion passed in a 13-1 vote after Councilmember Kris Harsh brought the emergency resolution that is not legally binding. Speaking to Newsweek, Harsh said the proposal was intentionally absurd.
And that's the point," he said, adding that after recent efforts to rename major bodies of water, he decided: "If everybody gets to rename something, then screw it. We'll make it the Gulf of Cleveland." No, the lake has not been renamed. Rather a symbolic resolution vote by Cleveland’s City Council has given a 2-mile stretch of water from the city shoreland the name “Gulf of Cleveland.” While it is not a legal renaming, the order does require the city clerk to notify Apple and other national mapping companies about this new name.
The "Gulf of Cleveland" is the name given by the city to the section of Lake Erie that borders Cleveland's shoreline. The designation, which is not legally binding, applies only to the Cleveland waterfront area and does not create a new body of water or alter the official name of Lake Erie outside city use. Harsh told Newsweek he introduced the measure as a satirical response to what he sees as growing political attention on renaming geographic locations.
Americans need to stop thinking that this is all a joke and start to realize that this is real and I know the constant daily circus distracts people from that reality but that's what I was trying to cut through. I know the Gulf of Cleveland is a stupid idea. I'm fully aware of that," he said.
During the council meeting, Harsh argued that Trump's recent renaming efforts had "emboldened" him to make his own proposal. It’s our lake.” In response to potential pushback that the lake itself is not a gulf, Harsh provided a deadpan response: “I say, ‘Who cares? Listen to me very carefully and jot this down: Words don’t matter.” Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
While the City of Cleveland’s symbolic vote was designed to poke fun at the renaming of locations, Republican State Representative David Maloney, who represents Pennsylvania’s 130th Legislative District in Berks County, said last week that he wants Lake Erie to be renamed “Lake Pennsylvania.” “Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others,” Maloney said, arguing that Pennsylvanians travel to the lake for boating, fishing and family visits, spending money along the state’s shoreline.
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