Politics & Potpourri November 2013

by Councilman Bill Barnett

Well, it’s October 6th, the deadline for this article to be submitted is the 8th, and I can’t believe that when you read this we will be just weeks away from Thanksgiving! I love October!

The weather usually breaks around the third week in October, the NFL is in full swing, it’s almost World Series time, and although we don’t have Fall leaves here, there are pumpkins and great Fall and Halloween decorations everywhere. It also means Daylight Savings time and how could I not mention how much I love my Halloween birthday! Of course it’s hard to think about

Fall when it’s a super hot 89 degrees here today and there is no sign of cool weather yet. Naples has had a very good but wet summer, and I would be extremely surprised if we have water restrictions placed on us this winter but it never hurts to pretend we do anyway and conserve our water. Many business and restaurant owners have told me that this past summer was the best for business that they can remember, and are extremely optimistic about the forthcoming season. The same can be said for our realtors who seem a lot happier these days and with good reason to be, real estate in Naples is hot! Naples City Council has certainly had its share of controversy, the biggest one which is ongoing, is the beach sand truck haul issue. I’m certainly not going to rehash it, but the bottom line that seems to be forgotten is the beaches are for all of us, residents and visitors alike! For Lee County Commissioners to be acting like immature children and trying their utmost to prevent the trucks hauling the sand from using their roads is simply absurd. I would hope if the situation were to be reversed that we would keep in mind what the bottom line means to all of us.

In my last article for Life In Naples that came out in August and covered September and October, I wrote about an unfortunate incident that happened in June to my wife Chris and I when on a dark country road in upstate New York both headlights on our car went out at the same time and the saga we went through getting the car fixed. I have had many questions from readers wanting to know the outcome. As I look back now it really was amusing, but not when it occurred. After four annoying trips to the dealer located an hour each way from us, we were assured that the car was fixed. I had my doubts, but accepted what they said and drove the car back to our Lake Placid home.

We normally don’t take that car out at night as we have an old car that we use up there for daily errands or if we go out at night. One day in August about a week before I flew back to Naples to resume our City Council meetings, we decided to take a ride to a neighboring town about an hour and a half away. We decided to go in the late afternoon, do some shopping, have dinner there and then drive back. It was the first time we had used the car at night. Well, long story made short, yes the lights worked, but it seems that the dealer never aligned the headlight beams, and the right beam was aimed about 15 yards to the right which was great for lighting up cornfields and trees. I was steaming, but we had to laugh, and vowed to find another dealer.

The next few days we had heavy rain, and when the weather cleared I went to wash the car and to my utter amazement there was moisture inside the right headlamp lens cover. I contacted a Cadillac dealer in Burlington Vermont, explained my story, and made an appointment. They did a great job, fixed the car, and so far so good but it’s a long drive from Lake Placid N.Y. to Naples Florida, so time will tell.

Welcome back to our Winter residents! You will find lots of new restaurants and retail stores to try, the City of Naples is better than ever, and we are glad you are back!