Byline: William Stergios

When I was a kid the veterans were coming home after serving in World War II. They started families, built houses, bought cars, and made our economy boom. It was a great time to be an American. They had just conquered a dictator who tried to take over the world, killing millions of innocent people in the process. We were proud of our country then. President Kennedy said “Don’t ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

Well, it was 1965 and off to Central High. A new chapter and new friends. They were in the process of building a new addition to the school and they were driving the pilings into the ground so the building shook constantly.

“This isn’t the same town I grew up in!” I hear that said over and over again, and this is from people a lot younger than I. Well, I’ll tell you how it was before you all were around. I was born in 1950. We lived on Grove Street. That was the Greek section of town, Auburn Street, Cedar Street, Spruce Street, etc. My mom told me how no one locked their doors around there, how the kids went from house to house, how it was one big family.

There are some people who want to stop this. I am hopeful that someone will step up and possibly run against them in November. As of yet, I haven’t heard a peep out of anyone willing to do that.

Now these bums are being shoved in our faces, camping out in our beautiful parks and hurting our businesses in the downtown area. So you pay over $100 a night at a new hotel to look at a disgusting homeless camp, complete with people defecating in plain view? Have our city leaders lost sight of what’s best for our city, of what’s best for our hard-working people who pay taxes and make our downtown a place to shop, eat, and walk safely?