Chicago residents have selected six new names for the city’s snowplows as part of the annual “You Name A Snowplow” contest. The Department of Streets and Sanitation announced the winners after a two-week voting period, marking the fourth year of this initiative.
The winning names are: Abolish ICE, Stephen Coldbert, Pope Frío XIV, The Blizzard of Oz, Svencoolie, and Caleb Chilliams. According to Block Club Chicago, nearly 80 percent of all submissions were anti-ICE themed.
This year saw record participation with 13,300 name entries and 39,000 voters. The department noted that these numbers are higher than in previous years.
An honorable mention was given to “Chance the Scraper,” which finished less than one percentage point behind “Caleb Chilliams.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed appreciation for community involvement. “I want to thank the people of Chicago for their unmatched creativity, sense of humor and civic pride,” Johnson said in a press release. “We are grateful for the record-breaking participation and encourage Chicagoans to continue interacting and engaging with local government.”
Each winning name will be displayed on a snowplow assigned to one of Chicago’s six snow districts. Residents who originally submitted these names will have an opportunity to take photos with their named plow and receive city merchandise.
The newly named vehicles will become part of a fleet consisting of more than 300 salt spreaders that maintain approximately 9,400 lane miles during winter storms. Residents can track all city plows in real time using Chicago’s online plow tracker.
