Burton Hot Shots:

 
Strange Times Indeed:   What a week in Burton... First, one of the councilmen during the Monday meeting told one of the Main Street merchants they should go "out to the strip mall" and then proceeded to lecture them about their "business plan" and advertising portfolio. I'd like to see this guy's past record as a successful businessman before I would have digested that one... Oh boy... Again, this is how Burton gets labeled as "Hicksville"... Remember back a couple of years ago how some of the "local Einsteins"/council people were telling us Main Street merchants that the only way we could be "saved" was to paint the Burton water tower with a stack of pancakes and a dollop of butter on the top? Oh boy... Guess what? We're still here and flourishing despite all of the Chicken Little scenarios they floated by us... Such dopes... So very embarrassing... Hicksville, indeed... As I told Matt from Geauga Power Sports: IGNORE the Chamber of Commerce, ignore the Village Council, ignore the Rotary and just proceed with business. THEY WILL NOT HELP YOU. THEY WILL MERELY HINDER YOU!   And what's more: Remember back about 25 years or so when there were APPLE trees on the Main Street dropping apples everywhere. Mr. Hill of Hill Hardware got tired of picking up apples from the drooping tree, went into his store - got a saw - and came out and felled the tree right onto Main Street!   Problem gone...

Boo-Hoo Budgets:   I am laughing insanely about the admonishment that the Chardon School Board gave to the Chardon Teachers' Union because the union gave only a measly ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS towards the last levy campaign! Ha! Can you freakin' believe it? I'm laughing so hard I can barely type the words... Oh my... So let me get this straight: The Chardon teachers' PAY IS FROZEN, but when a tax request comes up that would GREATLY FAVOR THEM, they SIT ON THEIR ASSES and ONLY GIVE $100 to the levy campaign! Ha! Oh my... Acting like the true liberals they are! IMAGINING that the money will MATERIALIZE from the sky... Oh my... Plus very few teachers EVEN WORKED ON THE LEVY... Can you believe it? The dopey union president up there said "...it's difficult to explain..." Yeah, right... Liberalism and "purple sky dope thought" is VERY DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN. Now Chardon wants to run a property-based levy on the next ballot! When will they learn? When will they figure out that their HUGE BUDGET full of perks, benefit packages and retirement pick-ups CANNOT BE SUSTAINED BY THE TAX BASE? How many times will they run the levies and be defeated before they learn that benefits and staff must be cut? When? It's quite apparent to the voters. Voters are TIRED of being told that millions of dollars of cuts are being made on the kids' side of the budget... Benefits are what need to be re-negotiated - for Chardon that must near $4 million of "give-me's" for the teachers/adm./staff. Get busy! To come year after year with requests for MORE TAXES does not cut it... Period.

Mary Briggs' Foreclosure:   The headlines this week contained yet MORE about former Claridon Trustee and now democrat candidate for state representative 98th District, Mary Briggs - now her house is going to be sold on the courthouse steps for foreclosure. I talked with her about it and the case is complicated and involves a house/business she owns also on Burton's Spring Street. Briggs is not the first politician to have money problems - remember back about 20 years ago when they ran out that fat congressman women from Cleveland who bounced all of those checks to the congress bank? And remember how many congressmen they uncovered who not only bounced checks to the same congress bank, but in fact that been BANKRUPT several times? Whoa! Ms. Briggs has another struggle on the horizon as well - early in August she will go to trial against her two former Claridon trustees - Brockway and Ward - she is taking them to court for alleged violations of the ORC in conjunction with their past duties as township trustees. So look for Briggs to be in the news again BIG TIME. Let's see how this plays out.

Fire District:   I talked with the Burton Police Chief Mike Sestak last night to get a handle on his proposed "fire district" and the funding for his squad and fire guys. Mike says he "just wants them to make as much as a McDonald's worker" and is urging the two townships and the village to give him another $100,000 a year or so to make sure that happens.  Burton Township is balking and the village is only going for a renewal. I ask this: Wasn't there HUGE fire reserves in all three entities to the tune of almost $500,000? Can't this BIG MONEY be used? And if that money is on reserve, I would think the three entities would be turned down for levy requests - it's hard to demonstrate a need when that much cash is in the bank. Right?

Century Village Gun Collection:   Yesterday the Century Village formally opened their new gun collection and toy soldier collection to the public. As I've said before, this is a first rate presentation. The guns start at the Revolutionary War and come through World War I - 40 pieces in all. Quite good condition on the rifles and there are nice photos explaining their historical contributions to America. Yesterday my workers went over to view the collection and said there were never less than 20 people in the room at any given time, so that a nice showing! Next time there is an event and the Hiscox House is open, stop in and see it! Now this is surely in keeping with the historical mission and it is a good thing to see. More of this over there!

Village Annexation:   Oh boy, here we go again... The Village Council is talking about annexing land from those who wish to tie into their water/sewer, but the Burton Township trustees are dead set against it... These two entities have never played nice and it's going to get ugly. Area developer Mary Lambert who owns land that abuts Preston Chevrolet brought up the subject of tie-in for some land she wants to develop in that area and the Village Council had quite a go at her. Basically the controversy is viewed by Council this way:  If you want services, then you have to be annexed.  Sounds OK at first until you see the tax loss to the township and then the zoning rules of the village would apply to the new development. So you have the classic struggle... Look for more venom to fly on this one as Mary Lambert unleashes her lawyer team and the township trustees get involved with putting their foot down to the Village Council. Oh boy...

Mega Teachers:   People around town are still talking about the Berkshire teacher/coach who got arrested this summer for his THIRD DUI. Sources tell me that at first he was going to resign, but then "lawyered up" after talking to the teacher union attorneys and will probably fight his sure dismissal by the Berkshire School Board. That is very disappointing and very unethical. Look, the guy should "man up" - accept that he is unfit for teaching young people and a lousy role model. He's also a lousy coach anyway - he only won THREE games in THREE years down the street at Newbury. Based on that fact alone, WHY WOULD WE WANT HIM TO COACH OUR KIDS AT BERKSHIRE? Right now there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of unemployed teachers/coaches trying to get hired. Look at Chardon: They had 700 applicants for ONE TEACHING POSITION. Why would Berkshire be so stupid as to dick around with a loser like Harriman when he could be replaced in a heartbeat with a better candidate with a clean criminal record, better coaching skills and maturity?  The choice is simple. Now this boozy jock jerk is going to cost our school district a bunch of money forcing him out as well as hurting our reputation. Unreal... Time to "man up", get sober, get out of town, get out of the state and then after your head is together, TRY to get re-certified and teach/coach in another state.

Burton Street Affair:   Saturday, July 31 is the date of the big Burton "flea market" - that time when the Main Street of our fair berg turns into table after table of cool merchandise. Goods are out on the tables - everything from books to cooked goods to household merchandise - by 9 am or so and continue until 5 pm or so. Lots of fun! Lots of stuff to buy! Come on into town! Yeeee hawwww!!

Raccoon County Music Festival 2010:   Now here's MORE good old-fashioned fun in Burton coming August 14 - the Raccoon County Music Festival at the beautiful Century Village Grounds from 12 noon to 8:30 pm featuring all types of down home music: bluegrass, old time, Cajun, Irish, Mariachi and just plain old "jams"! Also being held is a square dance, music workshops and games. Something for any music enthusiast! Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for kids. For more info: www.raccooncountymusicfestival.com.  Have fun!

Burton Car Show:  The car show struggles along every Wedneday night with about 30 cars or less, but all seem to be having fun and "Dave the DJ" is still aboard...  Same good food, same wonderfully still evenings between the Main Street buildings.  Alas!  We wish for the days of the 200 car shows!