Bay City wants to give Madonna the key to city

Thomas Wolfe wrote, 'You can’t go home again.' But Madonna will, if Mayor Charles M. Brunner of Bay City, Mich., has his way, The Associated Press reported. The mayor wants to give the key to the city to Madonna, who grew up there and in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills.
The problem is that in 1985, according to The Bay City Times, Madonna was considered for the honor but some people thought then that her entertainment was too risqué. To make matters worse, the newspaper reported, the city refused to accept a sculpture of Madonna from an Italian artist in the late 1980s on the grounds that her popularity would fade.
Now Mayor Brunner has written to Madonna to offer her the key, saying, 'We have always been proud of your accomplishments, but recently your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reminded us that we need to honor you with the highest honor that Bay City can offer.' What’s more Guy Greve, president of the Bay Arts Council, wants to commission a sculpture of Madonna, and City Commissioner Christopher J. Shannon, who fronts a rock band, plans a Madonna tribute album, using local musicians to cover her hits, including 'Like a Virgin' and 'Express Yourself.'

From the New York Times