Politics and Potpourri

by Councilman Bill Barnett

Councilman Bill Barnett

Today is April 5th, and when I write my next article it will be for August. I am still trying to catch my breath from this past season and can’t seem to grasp that summer is just around the corner. I’m sure I’ll have some road trip stories to share as we take our summer driving trip to upstate New York with our Bulldog Zsa- Zsa, and our two cats Maggie and Ava.

How about some suggestions for next season that probably won’t happen but I’ll try anyway. Last summer when my wife Chris and I were in Buffalo, N.Y. we shopped
in absolutely the best supermarket chain I’ve ever been in, Wegmans, a familiar name in the Northeast. Perhaps the one thing that impressed me the most was their rotisserie chicken. On each box that the chicken was put in when cooked was a white label with a time written on it as to exactly what time that chicken was put out for sale.

How difficult would this be for any of our grocery stores that sell roti chickens, ribs, etc, to do this? I’m sure you will agree that all of us at one time or another have taken home a product that probably was put out late morning and had been under the warming lights for at least 5 or 6 hours if not more, and it was overdone and dry. Since I’m on a roll, anyone that reads my articles knows that Wynn’s Market is one of my favorite places to grocery shop in Naples.

For years I have begged them to no avail that they put a numbering system like other stores do in their deli department. It is pure bedlam there and many times this
season that when asked who was next a person who got there after me piped up and said they were, sometimes two people would respond at the same time. Rather than get into an argument I just kept my mouth shut even though I was annoyed. It’s just a customer convenience that doesn’t cost a lot and would provide a big benefit not only for the customer but for their staff as well.

I always smile when I hear a politician say “just for the record”, during an official meeting. Everything is on the record, maybe they just say it because it makes them feel
important. I have recently had people that watch our City Council meetings ask me why do certain council members say they support an item that is being discussed and then vote no when it’s time to vote on that item.

My answer is that no matter what the discussion is prior to the vote it’s the actual vote that counts. The reasons vary for saying they support an item and then vote against it. Not enough information was provided is the most prevalent one, or, I didn’t get the e-mail is another one, both are pure nonsense. I can’t begin to explain why these
are bogus responses, but I’ll try.

Our staff provides us more information on each agenda item than we could ever use. Not only do they do that, but our City and assistant City Manager are always available for one on one meetings, phone calls, and e-mails. We receive our council agendas a week before our actual council meetings as well as updates and supplements to the agenda. If there is something that we need to know about an item there is just no excuse to show up on the day of the meeting and use the above excuses, it’s just plain misleading to those who watch our meetings, and I find it irritating to say the least.

As we look back on this past season we can all smile and give ourselves a big pat on the back for the huge success that Naples just experienced. From real estate to the Naples Zoo it was just busy, busy, busy and we loved it. The time is now to kick back, relax, recharge our batteries and have fun! It’s that time of year when we can enjoy all the great Naples offerings that we share with our winter residents and tourists. Our beaches, restaurants, hotels, shops, grocery stores, favorite fishing spots, places of worship and a myriad of others all await us and we don’t have to share them for the next six months!

Finally, and even if it’s only once in your life that you do this, treat yourself to something from Norman Love Confectioners. They are located next door to Swan River
Seafood and USS Nemo restaurant in Naples. It’s a sweet        experience you will treasure, I promise!