Thousands sign petition to rename Ohio capital "Flavortown"

When Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced that the statue of Christopher Columbus outside City Hall would be removed. residents of Ohio’s capital started a petition to take the movement one step further. Thousands are fighting to erase the city’s connection with Christopher Columbus — including the city name — . and are advocating for it to be changed to Flavortown in honor of Columbus native Guy Fieri. “Even though it’s my favorite city, I was always a bit ashamed of the name,” 32- year-old Tyler Woodbridge told CNN. Thus, he created the petition to rename the city to Flavortown — Fieri’s signature catchphrase on his plethora of shows on The Food Network. As of June 23, almost 50,000 people have signed. Woodbridge didn’t select the Flavortown name to be funny. Fieri has a track record of doing incredible charity work. Recently, Fieri helped raise more than $20 million for restaurant workers during the pandemic. He’s even officiated more than 100 LGBTQIA+ weddings. The petition even caught the eye of Budweiser, who tweeted that they’d give free Bud Light Seltzer to every resident of Flavortown if the name change actually happens. Even if Flavortown doesn’t work out, Woodbridge just hopes the city changes its name from Columbus. “Now is the time for progressiveness. It’s a time for change"