I was on my way to a Northampton City Council meeting to listen in on the issue of whether or not our fair city should oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but unfortunately on my way there, my car fell into a crater on Hampton Avenue and I punctured a tire and bent a rim.
As I waited for the tow truck to arrive, I got to thinking: It’s odd that our city’s main artery to its most reliable and affordable source for an empty parking spot is a pothole-riddled, crumbling minefield. I’ve seen better roads in Cambodia. I appreciate the sentiment of our City Council, but what happened to the idea of ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’? Let’s not kid ourselves; this is a tiny, little town. If you want to discuss drones, global warming and international trade agreements, go run for Congress.
If you want to address the issues facing a small city most people have never heard of, fix the roads downtown. And maybe, while we’re at it, let’s fix the dishwasher at the elementary school in town where they’ve been throwing away Styrofoam trays for years while we busy ourselves banning plastic bags.
— BRIAN COOPER, Northampton