Right in the middle of trying to save democracy, by writing commentary about it… and about freedom as well… there was some street maintenance to take care of.
I’ll sometimes say, facetiously – but also seriously – that ‘I’m trying to save democracy,’ as an excuse for neglecting to vacuum the den, or to roll the garbage, recyclables and compost carts out to the curb.
But last week, two streets in our small California community were of paramount importance. A seal-coating substance was about to be applied to them, to boost their longevity, as they say in the street maintenance business.
Spending the money that folks pay into our community, my fellow elected officials and I take very seriously.
Having the streets sealed, so they’ll last years longer, seemed to make good sense, as we were going over community infrastructure maintenance needs, several months ago.
Even if we had – as mentioned in Daily Post Editor Bill Hudson’s editorials — the many millions of dollars from various taxes your town and county officials have at their disposal, I’m pretty sure, dollars and cents-wise, we’d still be doing what we’ve been doing.
One thing we don’t have to worry about, is our sewage treatment infrastructure. There’s a plant that’s been upgraded over several years, and more recently, several counties got together to have – I think it’s called a new gravity pipeline – built to run sewage down from neighboring communities, over to the plant.
I’ve been following that situation, out your way, with those pumps along miles of your pipeline, sometimes, you might say, huffing and puffing, in their effort to push sewage several miles uphill to your sewage treatment plant.
But getting back to street maintenance, from reading Mr. Hudson’s editorials, it sure seems that some of your roads could stand some TLC. And you have those gravel roads that have to be maintained, and maybe paved over with asphalt or concrete, at some point. And from what we’ve gathered, out here in our community, that costs a pretty penny.
From my own experience, I can tell you, keeping infrastructure — shall we say, up to speed? – can be complicated.
Anyway, as I was feverishly getting messaging written, to make sure everyone residing on the two streets about to be resealed would move their vehicles off the streets for a full 24 hours, saving freedom and democracy had to be relegated to – let’s say — the backseat, temporarily.
Explaining why local residents’ lives would be disrupted took some doing.
On the morning of the first phase of road preservation work, not a vehicle was to be seen on the first of the two streets to be resealed. In my mind, I was high-fiving… and even cheering the messaging our local residents had received.
On the morning of the second phase of work on the other street, all of the vehicles, but one, were offsite. I kind of felt like a Major League Baseball pitcher who had pitched a perfect game, up to the final seconds of the 9th inning, when, suddenly, a batter gets on base.
Just one car remained on the street, as a big resealing machine was about to roll up, down and all around, except over the several square feet where the lone car was parked.
Like they say in sports… you can’t win ‘em all.
But with that other writing I’ve been doing, urging folks to cherish freedom and democracy, that’s when, every which way possible, you’re hoping you’ll be able to pitch a perfect game.
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.