Fla. mayor irked by poor pronunciations

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BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The mayor of Boca Raton, Fla., says her desire to hear people properly pronounce her city's name may lead to slapping an "e" at the end.

Boca Raton Mayor Susan Whelchel said she cringes when she hears someone pronounce "Raton" as if it rhymes with "baton" instead of "ra-tone," the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Monday. An ordinance in 1982 attempting to halt the mispronunciations failed to pass.

"Maybe we should pass another ordinance, saying 'We'll put you in jail like Al Capone if you don't say it like 'Boca Raton,'" the mayor joked.

Whelchel said the city's name was originally spelled "Boca Ratone" when it was incorporated in 1924, but the "e" was dropped the following year. She said officials may consider bringing the "e" back to ensure people get it right.

The pronunciation violators include CNN's Candy Crowley, moderator of the second presidential debate, who said the name of the city wrong when announcing it as the location for the third debate.