It has been a while since I have written one of these. My opinion is way too strong on a lot of things. I recognize that is one of my faults. But, on the other hand, sometimes, things need to be brought to light to fix them.

Having been raised in Italy, I have so many fond memories of our town and the people here. When I was growing up we were known as the “Biggest Little Town in Texas” and one of the “Cleanest Little Towns in Texas.” There was a sense of pride here that was evident to those that lived here and displayed to those that passed through.

It breaks my heart that we are no longer known as one of the “Cleanest Little Towns in Texas.” I cannot for the life of me understand why our city employees do not keep our city areas clean. Can we expect our citizens to obey the ordinances when our city does not? I know that I have just made several people mad. I know this is not the first time this has happened and won’t be the last.

My opinion is not worth the price of a cup of coffee, but it sometimes helps when I put it in print. I thought about addressing the city council to ask them to get the city areas cleaned up but I don’t feel that is the answer. I had to tell myself if the council members could not see the mess for themselves and hold city employees accountable, my addressing them would not help.

It is time to go back to the time when we could be proud of the way our town looked and make our city clean and inviting again. We need it to be a place where people want to live and shop. I love our town and the people here. I want to be proud to tell someone where I am from. I want the employees that are responsible for keeping areas clean to be held accountable for doing so.

We have intersections that need trees and bushes trimmed for safety reasons. We have pot holes everywhere that need to be fixed. We have city areas that need to be mowed, trimmed and debris hauled off. We need a barrier around the hole at Upchurch so a child cannot access it. We need our downtown area to be kept clean and trash free. I was told there is money in the budget to hire someone in the position that Lou Martina held before he passed away. So hire someone to keep things clean and have the employees that are on the payroll now do what is necessary for things to be clean and safe — what are you waiting on?

The end for now.