So how was your street during the last two storms?

Date: 2/23/2017

So with temperatures now soaring into the 50s and no more snow in the forecasts, the two recent snow storms are now just dim memories or at the most, jut dirty snow banks that line the streets.

New Englanders, I think, have a sort of automatic memory swipe when it comes to snow events. They happen, we grit our teeth and do what’s necessary and then we all move on, especially once there is a thaw and the sight of black asphalt returns.

The question usually asked around the office after a snowstorm is, “How is your street?” and generally the answer is, if you live in Springfield, something negative.

The problem that I see on my street is, first, it is a narrow street not truly designed for two lanes of cars and second, too many people use the street as a place to park their car.

Those conditions are repeated in many of the older neighborhoods in the city. When a parking ban is called, I know that many people will ignore it, running the risk of towing and ticketing. Somehow the tow trucks never make it down my street, so inevitably the plows will go down the middle of the street they trap the unmoved cars in a pile of snow and do a less than satisfactory job clearing the street for two lanes of traffic.

Then I make a sacrifice to the Sun God to come out and melt the snow so the street won’t be so treacherous.

I blame the city less and residents far more. They know they have to move their cars and they don’t. They also know they have to clear the sidewalks. They also know that throwing their snow onto the roadway creates another problem.

Sorry to say, when it comes to a snowstorm, many people exhibit the weasel side of their brain.

I attended a City Council subcommittee meeting that discussed the snow clearing performance of the Department of Public Works. Chis Cignoli, the head of the DPW, acknowledged the challenges faced by his department, but said, “In general I’ve been very happy [with the snow removal job].”

City Councilor Adam Gomez made a suggestion that would solve the parking issue in my neighborhood and undoubtedly around the city. He suggested the city work with companies with parking lots to allow residents without driveways to park their cars there for the duration of the storm. That action removes the obstacles to an efficient plowing.

The idea makes a lot of sense and I hope it will be implemented. Otherwise we will go through the same cycle the next time we have a storm.

The press is not the enemy

Every week, my staff and I do our best to present information about our region that we believe is positive, constructive and is of use to our readers.

Yes, sometimes what we write touches nerves and anger some folks. I’ve got a list of local members of select boards who pretty much blame us for a variety of sins.

Yes, sometimes we make mistakes, but we acknowledge and do our best to make them right.

Yes, we are “media” with a small “m,” but we are still very much part of the press.

That is why the recent Twitter post from President Donald Trump truly angered me. It shows a fundamental lack of understanding about the role of the press in a democracy, a role that was defined by a founder of the republic such as Thomas Jefferson.

In 1787, Jefferson wrote in a letter, “the basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. but I should mean that every man should receive those papers & be capable of reading them.”

This is in contrast to what the current president posted, “The FAKE NEWS [his emphasis] media (failing @nytimes,@CNN,@NBCNews and many more) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people. SICK!”

He then amended the posting, eliminating the word “sick” and added ABC and CBS.

Trump has demonstrated that he is no scholar, and apparently no fan of history. I’m the first to acknowledge the all too human frailties of the corporate American press, but at its best it serves an invaluable purpose.

I hope someone has the backbone to remind Mr. Trump the last president who decided the press was his enemy was Richard Nixon. This paranoia is a symptom of personality traits that are far more serious than sniping at reporters who ask questions might seem.

Love to hear what you think, even if you disagree. Send me your opinion at news@thereminder.com. As always these are my words alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers or advertisers.