The World According to Bob

(Editor's note: Each week, as time permits, the Express transcribes Mayor Robert Restaino’s Epistle to his Ephesians. The words are his. The subheads were written by the editor. This week, for the second time, The Express used an AI device for the transcription. It saves a lot of labor.)

Fireworks

Let me just say that, I think by all accounts, the fireworks display for the Fourth of July was exceptional. I'd like to thank our vendor for providing a special celebration for the 250th anniversary. I'd like to provide you with some information. What is really special for all of us is the ability to get together and enjoy those kinds of events.

I also think that, um, when I was down at Hyde Park at the stadium, I think that our police department did a great job of clearing people out of the lots and moving traffic, um, briskly. So I want to thank them too for the work that they did.

Food Truck Thursday

Remember, Food Truck Thursdays continue this past Thursday. We had another great turnout there. So, uh, if you are on the text alert system, or if you go to the city's website, you can find out who's going to be present on the next Thursday. It's from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the train station each every Thursday through to the end of August. So step on down, it's a great place, uh, to visit with friends, co-workers. Uh, it's also a good time. There's music, and obviously our food truck vendors are some of the best.

So. Please stop on down if that's something that, uh, that interests you.

Check out some music

As you know, all throughout the community during summer, there are a variety of places where there are outdoor concerts. Uh, I know that on Old Fall Street on Fridays, they're having music.

Over at Columbus Square Park, the Pine Avenue has their concerts on Thursdays.

Be careful to whom you listen

I want to talk about something that you know, we live now in a place where information comes to us from a lot of different directions.

Many of us, for, better or for worse, get our information from social media sites and the opportunity for people to just post whatever information they think is appropriate.

I always ask people to be a little cautious about what they read, because many times it's merely the opinion of the person who's putting it out there, and it isn't necessarily accurate, it isn't necessarily news.

So just be careful of what you read. And take it, as they say, with a grain of salt, because it's not always accurate. And you can find yourself getting ahead of something, uh, but heading in the wrong direction, right. To some extent, that's our problem right now, even with some of the stuff that goes on. This most recent council meeting was a perfect example

Streets won’t be paved and it is Huether’s fault

We had a union leader (Editor’s note: Steel Workers Local President Tim Huether) who decided to go into the council session and misrepresent more things than I think you can count. As a result, he's gonna delay your street getting repaved. Maybe that's his purpose, I don't know. Whatever his purpose is, and he tries to cloak his purpose in some idea of what workers should do.

The difficulty is his union workforce came directly to their administration to say the limits of their ability based upon all of the jobs they have. They were honest.

Then there is this allegation somehow or another, the city engaging in private contractors to do the work of paving is some new idea. Well, the union leader also went to engineering, and he learned quickly that it's been done before.

So again, I'm going to ask everybody. Don't always follow what someone is saying. There's a good possibility they have their own agenda and they say these things for their own purpose, whatever it might be.

Council made a mistake believing Huether

I also would add that at least three of our council members were aware of everything that I'm just sharing with you, as well as the fact that there was an invitation to the union leader to talk about, what would be happening.

An invitation was sent out in June. Today's July 10th. We still haven't heard a response back from that, except, you know, all of the feigned offense and all of this stuff. So just be careful. And the sadness is the impact is not, it's not a city hall impact, it's a resident impact.

You, as taxpayers, because of his conduct, are gonna be, you know, suffering. If you see the road list and you thought, geez, great, they're gonna come and repave my street now because of this nonsense and the fact the Council majority decided to also buy in, even though I say three of them knew better.

Some of these roads are gonna be put off. This isn't a, this isn't an area where road repaving can be done twelve months a year. So you have a window.

We believe we could achieve what we want to achieve within that window. But it gets put off when you have council members that don't understand why you have to put catch basins in, and they delay that.

Don’t forget catch basin delays

It gets delayed too when council members are already aware of the setting and situation with regard to our public works department doing roads and private contractors doing roads, and yet they go along with a falsehood.

So it's really underneath that whole umbrella of be careful. Sometimes people have their own agenda for saying and doing what they do, so don't always listen and believe what you hear from those places. They generally don't have the collective interest in their focus.

About the weather

But enough of that. I know we just had a little bit of crazy weather the last couple of days, but it's expected to get a little bit better, once again, get back to some summer weather.

I know that there will be activities all throughout the community during this weekend. So if you're gonna be out and about, a couple things I'm gonna ask you to do again, as I do regularly.

If you're gonna be out on the roads, please be careful.

A new stop sign

I want to alert everyone there is a new four-way stop sign at the corner of 68th Street and Buffalo Avenue. Please make sure that you, take note of that. There are signs warning you of this new traffic control.

We have a number of senior citizens who are in that area. They're having difficulties crossing that street when they want to use that corner store. So we're gonna try to make it safer for them.

Also, if you're gonna be out on any e-vehicles or regular bicycles, please, please remember abide by the rules of the road, exercise your own bit of careful caution as you approach intersections.

As you do the things that you do as you navigate on the road, you will have the same obligations that automobiles have. So let's all be a little safer out there. And then, of course, let's all be mindful of pedestrians who are on the street.

We need to make sure that we make the road safe for everyone so that we can all enjoy a much safer and better summer. So if you are gonna be out and about, please be safe, be careful. Uh, and enjoy the rest of the weekend,