Holy cow Batman! Now that The Dispatch has a new layout and
print format, I had to chuckle when I saw that my weekly column now
has a theme name of
”
The Gilroy Crusader.
”
Holy cow Batman! Now that The Dispatch has a new layout and print format, I had to chuckle when I saw that my weekly column now has a theme name of “The Gilroy Crusader.”
For all of you folks who think I’m bestowing an unwarranted title upon myself, I need to tell you that I didn’t come up with that heading. In fact, when the paper’s editor asked me to pick a column name, I suggested something blasé, like “Garlic Town Galore,” “Garlic Town Gleanings,” “Gilroy Goings’ On,” or “Gilroy Golosh.”
So I was surprised to see the witty title “The Gilroy Crusader.” And like Batman of years past, I guess this means I’ll have to scan the Gilroy night sky and look for the “bat signal,” which in this case, would seem to dictate a garlic bulb in place of a bat.
For you folks who aren’t fans of the Caped Crusader, the “bat signal” was displayed in the sky of Gotham City to alert Batman in those pre-cell phone days that his help was needed in fighting one of the multiple criminals who always appeared on the local scene, for which Chief O’Hara and the Gotham PD were unable to handle. Of course, in the real world of Gilroy, we locals now have “The Red Phone” to call, and the Gilroy PD is quite capable of handling Gilroy’s assortment of local crime characters. But there still are plenty of things in Gilroy that need comment and reform.
Now I must confess that deep down I feel honored to be called “The Gilroy Crusader.” While the dictionary defines “crusader” as one who advocates reform, or one who engages in holy war, I certainly won’t go as far as the latter definition, and I wonder about just how much reform can be suggested in a column before most people throw-up their hands and conclude this guy is too much of an ideological nit-picker.
I’ve received a number of emails regarding blight here in town, and today I want to consider the other side of the blight coin – unresponsive city employees. To illustrate, I received the following email giving some specific examples of one local citizen’s frustration:
“The indifference [to blight] of many Gilroy residents is indeed a problem. However, I have found that some city employees seem to be indifferent about doing their jobs [about it] in a responsible manner. Despite complaints about vehicles permanently stored on our streets, weeds and debris in yards, and so forth, city employees continue to allow the same blight to continue unchecked. I see no excuse for such long-term lack of action.
“Drive by the corner of Benassi and Third Street. Note the weeds in the yard of the house on the southeast corner. Despite a fire in those weeds a few weeks ago, nothing has been done to clear the remaining weeds. Continue south on Benassi Drive to where it becomes Sequoia Drive. You will see trailers permanently being stored on the street near where those two streets meet at Amber Court. Since those trailers are not connected to a motor vehicle, they are in violation of State Law. Any enforcement? Nope. You will also see the sports equipment and one of the “temporary” carport tents mentioned in your article.
“At Third and Laurel Drive (1391 Third Street), you will notice that junk vehicles reported more than eight months ago remain where they’ve been for much longer than that. A jet-ski (and its trailer) continue to be stored on the front lawn, where they are frequently joined by motor vehicles. Anything done about it? Again, no.
“Driving east on Third Street, you will see the same VW camper bus that has been stored in front of 1311 Third Street for more than a decade. Despite complaints, it continues to be an unsightly fixture in the neighborhood. Is the city doing anything about it? Once again, no.
“There’s a thread here. Indifference on the part of the citizens is often the result of an unresponsive city government. That certainly seems to be the problem here in Gilroy.”
My point in sharing this writer’s concern is that very often our “public servants” can become near-sighted in regards to why they have their jobs. Responsive service to the citizens should be of primary importance in Gilroy city government, and dealing with blight is a practical issue where responsive city service can either shine or smell.
Government is suppose to serve the people, and people want responsive action – not excuses, not red tape. I hope somebody in City Hall is listening.
