PORTLAND, Maine — The cute, little, green sidewalk and street sweeper in Portland’s downtown improvement district needs a name. And you can help.
But the one you’re thinking of is not in the running.
“We had quite a few Sweepy MacSweepface suggestions, but that one didn’t make the cut,” said Cary Tyson, executive director at Portland Downtown.
District employees have narrowed the clever choices down to five from over 100 collected at Downtown Worker Appreciation Day in May. Now, the public is invited to vote to choose the winner.
Online voting opened on Monday and runs until 5 p.m. on July 24.
The sweeper is operated by Portland’s Public Works Department under a yearly service agreement with the downtown improvement district, which owns the equipment. The district is funded by businesses who operate within the special downtown tax overlay zone.
So, what names are in the running?
– Meryl Sweep, after the famous movie actor Meryl Streep, who often cleans up at the Oscars
– Orlando Broom, a sweeping play on dashing actor Orlando Bloom’s name
– Sweep Caroline, a clean pun on Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” with its famous, singalong nonsense words
– Sweepy Todd, for the singing, homicidal barber Sweeney Todd, who spends his time disposing of people in the musical of the same name
– The Green Monstah, in honor of Fenway Park’s famous wall, which left-handed cleanup hitters love to hit doubles
“My favorite suggestion, which didn’t make the cut, was Dusty Rhodes,” Tyson said.
Rhodes was a fan-favorite professional wrestler with a cephalopod-like physique, broad lisp and beach-blonde hair who had his heyday in the 1980s.
Once voting is complete, Tyson will announce the winner and order a sign magnet with the name for the sweeper. He will also award the person who suggested the triumphant handle with a $50 gift certificate to the downtown business of their choice.
Looking ahead, Tyson said this contest has been so much fun, the district will likely hold another one this winter to name its sidewalk snowplow.
Just keep Plowy MacPlowface to yourself.
