When it comes to putting a name to Chicago’s annual battle against its infamously inclement weather, it turns out that the practical is also the political.
鈥淎bolish ICE鈥� was the top vote-getter in the city’s 鈥淵ou Name a Snowplow鈥� contest. Choosing the protest slogan with a double meaning proved a potent way for voters to jab at President Donald Trump after he sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers into the city and its suburbs last fall in a major immigration crackdown.
With a surge of ICE officers beginning in September, 鈥淥peration Midway Blitz鈥� resulted in , a and a sour taste among Chicago’s Democratic leaders and many of its residents, particularly in large immigrant populations. Despite mid-winter frigid cold, 鈥淚CE Out鈥� protests in recent weeks have continued downtown, near ICE facilities and throughout the suburbs.
The snowplow-naming contest, in its fourth year, also produced winning names ranging from those paying tribute to the new pope, who hails from Chicago, to a homegrown horror purveyor and the popular quarterback of the city’s NFL franchise. The top six winners will get a snowplow named in their honor.
In a statement, Mayor Brandon Johnson thanked Chicago voters 鈥渇or their unmatched creativity, sense of humor, and civic pride.”
When asked whether he was reticent about the potentially prickly response to the name, a spokesperson said that 鈥淎bolish ICE鈥� was the runaway winner, adding, 鈥淭he people of Chicago clearly have no issue with the name of this snowplow.”
Requests for comment were also emailed to ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security.
Contests in many cities produce names of snowplows, but they rarely carry the edge of Chicago’s top pick. In Nashville, 鈥淒olly Plowton鈥� pays homage to Tennessee native and country music legend Dolly Parton, while in Minnesota, is honored on a plow dubbed 鈥淭aylor Drift.鈥�
Chicagoans are capable of more anodyne names, too. Other winning contest names this year include 鈥淪tephen Coldbert,” for late-night talk show host . There’s 鈥淧ope Frio XIV,鈥� with the Spanish word for 鈥渃old鈥� rhyming with the Chicago-born pontiff’s name, Leo.
Then there’s the 鈥淏lizzard of Oz鈥� and 鈥淪vencoolie,鈥� a play on the Chicago TV horror host, Svengoolie; and finally, 鈥淐aleb Chilliams鈥� for the quarterback whose last name is Williams, and who led the Bears to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
Johnson said he and his Department of Streets and Sanitation, which maintains 300 trucks to clear 9,400 miles (15,000 kilometers) of streets, are 鈥済rateful and inspired by the record-breaking participation in the contest this year.” There were 13,300 plow names submitted and 39,000 final votes were cast.
The contest was conducted the same way as it was in the past three years, said Ryan Gage, spokesperson for the Streets and Sanitation department. Submissions are made to the Chicago Shovels website. A survey app is used for both initial and final phases of the contest.
A group of Streets and Sanitation staff members then reviews all the submissions and chooses the finalists, which are then forwarded to the mayor’s office for final approval, Gage said.
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O’Connor reported from Springfield, Ill.
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