It didn’t take long for Naperville’s new council member Jennifer Taylor to make her first screw-up. It occurred at her second council meeting when she referred to fellow new council member Ian Holzhauer as councilman ‘Holzheizer’ or it could have been ‘Holzweiser’, as in Budweiser it was difficult to hear it clearly, but it definitely wasn’t Holzhauer.
Granted, it’s not a huge mistake, but one would think that other than knowing where to sit at the dais, knowing other council member’s names would be high on the list of getting things correct.
Considering the times we are living in, of course, there are many other pressing issues of more importance than pronouncing a name correctly. Previous council members have been challenged trying to read big numbers (more than three digits), or reading a motion of more than ten words, it can happen to anybody.
Former Chicago Cub announcer Harry Caray, was constantly mis-pronouncing names, and he was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Mis-pronouncing names could work in Taylor’s favor, and become her claim to fame. Viewers could be glued to every word she utters, waiting for the moment she refers to Mayor Chirico as Mayor Pradel, or councilman Hinterlong as ‘Hintershort’, or Benny White as Benny Goodman, or even Theresa Sullivan as Ed Sullivan. Opportunities are endless.