D.C. at odds over 'taxation' tag for Obama limo

WASHINGTON - Local leaders have hit a roadblock over the presidential limousine.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and the D.C. Council are all at odds over which license plate the new president will use once he takes office.

Fenty and Norton have both said they won't ask President-elect Barack Obama to use the "taxation" tag.

Recently, on WTOP's Politics Program, Norton said she "didn't want symbols."

Norton may not want a symbol, but the entire D.C. Council does.

A letter signed by all 13 councilmembers urges Obama to use the "taxation" license plate.

"As you ride down Pennsylvania Avenue, during the Inaugural parade after being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009, displaying the license plates would send a clear message to the entire nation and the world about your support for this issue and remedying this injustice," the letter reads.

A spokesperson for Norton responded to the D.C. Council's letter, saying, "We think the Council has taken commendable leadership here. [Congresswoman Norton] chooses to concentrate on the bill, not to take anything away from others who are doing other things to support the voting rights bill and other rights."

President Bill Clinton had the taxation tags installed on his limo for the last two months of his final term. President George W. Bush had the tags changed as soon as he took office.

Obama supported a bill last year that would have given D.C. a seat in the House. His transition team said in an e-mail that they would respond later to the council's letter.

Meanwhile, Nats fans are one step closer to having a new address for the team.

The D.C. Council gave preliminary approval on Tuesday to rename the portion of the South Capitol Street that runs in front of the Nationals ballpark to "Taxation Street."

The legislation still faces a final vote, but is expected to pass.

Unlike ceremonial street namings, this action would actually change the name of the street and the legal address of the stadium.

The renaming is part of the Council's effort to raise awareness of the District's lack of voting rights in Congress.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)