On May 3, Russell Township released a statement regarding the namesake of the municipality. The original namesake of the township, Peter Russell, was found to not uphold the values of the community and its residents, so two years ago the township created a Namesake Rededication Committee to find a new historical figure to distinguish.
After careful consideration, the Namesake Committee has recommended that instead of settling on one person to honour, the Township should simply dedicate its name to any individual with the name of “Russell” that “would have helped develop our community into the jewel we love today.”