NAPLES POTPOURRI BY BILL BARNETT

Bill Barnett

I consider this summer article, which covers three months, the “end” of season and the new season starts in November. It just makes sense to me, don’t ask why. Usually as I write the summer and a bit of fall articles, I am in Angola, New York which is about a thirty-minute drive from downtown Buffalo. We rent a small cottage about a two-minute walk from Lake Erie and a nice beach, a few restaurants, and, best of all, Evangola State Park, which is one of the prettiest State Parks I’ve ever seen. Five days a week I feel as if I own it because there aren’t many people taking advantage of it during the week. The weekends are busy with folks coming from Buffalo and the other surrounding areas. I make it a habit to walk in the park daily.

I also brag about all the local farms where we go to get our fresh produce. I would be remiss if I left out that our area is the corn capital of New York, and from the day we arrive until the day we leave, which is about 6-8 weeks, I eat fresh picked corn. Boiled, grilled, microwaved, or wrapped in tinfoil over an open fire, it’s always on our dinner menu! My wife Chris has a lot of family near us because Buffalo is where she grew up. We are never bored, and we can always find a family member doing a barbecue. I always say the two things I don’t eat when we get back to Naples are chicken wings or corn! I could write this entire article about our summer, but I’ll finish this part with our favorite ice cream place. Its name is Frosty Treat and they have been there since 1954 serving the widest variety of specialty sundaes in Western New York. Unless it is a rainy, cold day which, there aren’t many, the line is always long but nobody minds waiting! They update their selections daily and trying to make up your mind is a tough challenge but a fun one.

It feels a little strange for me to still be in Naples right now and not planning our normal trip until August this year. Usually, it’s July through October and when folks see me in Publix or around town right now, they ask is everything ok? Yes, it is, and I do appreciate the fact that they care about the old Mayor! This summer we are going to drive from Naples to Lake Placid, New York where we spent over thirty years before selling and went to Buffalo for the summer. We will visit with some friends there and stay with our nephew who is a top catering Chef there.

It will no doubt bring back many wonderful memories. I still say the Adirondack Mountains are spectacular to visit in the summer, offering phenomenal hiking trails from beginner to the most experienced and certainly in the winter if you’re a skier. It is absolutely worth a trip there if possible. We will then finish up our summer and some fall in Angola and home in October.

You might have noticed I have not been writing letters to the editor or making public comments at City Hall for the past five years, regardless of my opinions on current city agendas. That does not mean that I don’t care what’s going on in our city, on the contrary I care a lot. Am I tempted? Absolutely but if I were to voice my opinion against a project that had most likely been discussed during my tenure I would still be called a sore loser regardless, because that’s just the way it works. I’m much better minding my own business, and I certainly give my opinions when asked. Perhaps the most absurd issue that has come up and was decided after two years of studies, discussions, and debates was the thought of moving our Naples Airport. I will tell you that this was no new subject. It had been talked about as long as I can remember during my public career which spanned 28 years. Then it was put back in an archive somewhere in City Hall until the idea popped up a few years later by someone who thought this was a brilliant idea. Well, this time some of the City Council members decided it was worth looking into. I’m not going through the whole story, but two years and $400,000 later it was once again shelved. Was there a lesson learned by this debacle? It’s easy for me to say because I’m just a good old 52-year resident of the City of Naples but this would have never happened this way had I been an elected official during these last two years.

Enjoy your summer and fall, and remember the old saying, no matter where you vacation you just can’t beat living in Naples, Florida!

All the Best,
Bill Barnett, Former Mayor
I do respond to e-mails at: mayornaples@gmail.com