Having blogged the Newburyport Political Blog now for a while, I have great sympathy for the regular media.
If there is nothing particular to write about I can always pull out the “frogs” for goodness sakes (plus I really do like them, all 4 of them) or I could blog about all those gorgeous historic photographs, no problem.
But last week (obviously a “slow” week) one of the major stories in the local newspapers was the “flagpole story.” Sometimes I think, only in Newburyport, MA.
The long and the short of it is that there is a flagpole on Newburyport’s Central Waterfront, that the city of Gloucester would like back because it was originally the “boom” on the famous fishing schooner the “Thebaud.”
Newburyport on the other hand wants to keep it because the Newburyport Fire Department discovered and paid for it in 1938. We legally own it. And it’s on the “hot spot” of all Newburyport “hot spots,” yes, the ever controversial Newburyport Central Waterfront.
Can a scandal be made out of the fact that Mayor John Moak didn’t respond to the letters sent in October about the flagpole because it was not on the top of his priority list??
Let’s see…
The Crow Lane Landfill or the flagpole? Hmm… the Landfill.
Our school situation or the flagpole? Hmm… the schools.
The fact that there is little money in the budget for not only things that needed to be done yesterday, but things that needed to be done 10 years ago or the flagpole? Hmm… the money thing.
If I was Mayor John Moak, let’s see, the flagpole would be about #994 on my priority list. But not anymore. It’s most likely to have shot up there to the top ten most important items facing Newburyport, MA in the year 2007.
I don’t know what’s been done, but if I was Mayor John Moak I would most definitely shuttle this one off to the Newburyport City Council, and have the whole thing thrashed out in a multitude of Newburyport City Council subcommittees. And you know what, the really sad thing is, I bet the Newburyport City Council has gotten a number of phone calls on this “hot” issue. Just a guess on my part, nothing more (but I think it’s a pretty good guess).
And I love the quote in the Newburyport Current, February 2, 2007,
” “I didn’t think there could be a lot of resistance about a flagpole,” he (Geoffrey Richon ) said, amused. “A flagpole controversy, I’ll be darned. Imagine starting such a thing.” ”
Well, honey, this is Newburyport, MA, where it took us, apparently, 50 years to put (George) Washington’s name under his very own statue (see earlier posts). And to boot, this is Newburyport’s Central Waterfront. We fight over everything that has anything to do with Newburyport’s Central Waterfront. And you think you want your flagpole back?
No offense or anything, but lots of luck on that one.
Mary Eaton
Newburyport