Harry Baals is the runaway favorite in online voting to name the new building in Fort Wayne, about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis. But Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said that probably won’t be enough to put the name of the city’s longest-tenured mayor on the center. The issue is pronunciation. The former mayor pronounced his last name “balls.” His descendants have since changed it to “bales.” Supporters said it’s unfair that the former mayor can’t be recognized simply because his name makes some people snicker. But opponents fear that naming the center after Baals would make Fort Wayne the target of late-night television jokes. “We realize that while Harry Baals was a respected mayor, not everyone outside of Fort Wayne will know that,” Malloy said in a statement. “We wanted to pick something that would reflect our pride in our community beyond the boundaries of Fort Wayne.” An online site taking suggestions for names showed more than 1,000 votes Tuesday for the Harry Baals Government Center. That’s more than three times the votes received by the closest contender. Jim Baals, 51, who has lived in the city his entire life, said it’s unfortunate that his great-uncle’s name won’t be considered for the building.