Hello long-neglected little blog…
I so seldom think of anything to post here other than my RSS feed jokes (@guylarious on Twitter, come on get with it), but I wanted to share this with you.
My neighborhood in Jersey City, like many other neighborhoods everywhere, is suffering from a tightened governmental belt. NJ Transit was threatening to reduce bus service, which would really have adversely effected lots of people. Lafayette , where I live, lacks a lot of very basic services, things like, oh, I dunno, a place to eat, or a Post Office or a library. Unfortunately, the person tasked with fighting for our neighborhood’s fair share of the pie is Viola Richardson, who’s idea of a helpful piece of legislation for a struggling neighborhood badly in need of jobs, housing and renewal are bills recognizing prominent resident’s 80th birthdays. How’s about it Lafayette: we’ve got crack dealers in the park, yet we keep re-electing Willard Scott? I guess it’s true: only old people vote.
So anyway, lots of people were upset about the bus service changes, and so they did what awesome community activists do: they fought it. They took pictures of people packed onto the busses to refute the state’s claim that ridership was down. They wrote letters and emails and made phone calls and generally raised a stink until the state relented. Then Ms. Richardson, who must have been roused from her slumber by a few hundred emails from constituents, did her job for part of an afternoon and sent out an email to take credit. Here is some of it, including my favorite part, the part about her precarious health situation:
As of about 12 Noon today, Peter Brennan and Bill Gaughan informed my Aide Lorenzo that the #4 bus and the #99S lines will continue without disruption. I also want you to know that I have been reaching out to our state senators, particularly Senator Cunningham, to take action with NJ Transit ever since I found out about this situation. I even personally called the owner and operator of the Montgomery/Westside Bus company to see what assistance he could provide during this crisis and he stepped up to the plate for the #4 bus. During this time I also received numerous emails and phone calls from constituents throughout the city about the bus and Christa Atkins (a Lafayette resident) sent me personal photos she took to show that the buses are typically full and not suffering from low ridership as stated. All the while I’ve been trying to deal with this and a bad cold. I thank you, LUNA, CABA, Morris Canal, the Lafayette community and everyone who spoke out from Ward F, Ward A, the Heights and throughout the city regarding this critical issue that affects our most vulnerable residents and working families. This outcome proves that when elected officials and the community work together, things can get accomplished. Nevertheless, we must remain steadfast in keeping vital services in our communities. Regards, Viola S. RichardsonWard F Counciolwoman
City of Jersey City
And now my response:
Dear Viola,
Words cannot express our gratitude for your performing this most minimal of tasks, one that your office should be engaged in almost immediately and without the prompting of your aide, whom you don’t need and likely shouldn’t have. But more importantly, I pray that you will soon find relief from what must certainly be an extreme case of sniffles, since you felt it appropriate to share about it with us in the very same email in which you detail what you are doing to keep elderly women from having to walk to their doctor’s appointments. To think that you, in this weakened state, reached out your withered hand to dial (or perhaps your aide dialed? I mean he’s just sitting there) and spoke personally to the owner of some deathtrap bus company to see if he would help deliver terrible service at jacked-up prices to poor people. Astounding. Was he able to hear you clearly, despite what I can only image was barely discernible hoarseness? The term “hero” comes to mind. Not about you, I was thinking of someone else just now, but then my mind does tend to wander, probably due to exhaustion from having to TRAVEL BY TRAIN if I want to eat at a restaurant like a person. Again, my thanks. POR NADA.
Guy Patton
Lafayette Resident and Richardson Voter-Against-er
So yeah, I expect my 80th birthday will go uncelebrated in Jersey City.
Guy
