Page 48 - Life In Naples Magazine December 2014 Edition
P. 48
politics and
potpourri
by Councilman Bill Barnett
T oday is November 2nd, and as I write this December
when the nightly news came on and
article for Life in Naples I find myself reflecting the many the broadcaster was talking about
years that I have been writing articles month after month, what a bad Flu season this season was
year after year. As I finish each article and just before I hit the send going to be and it was going to be so
button to send my article to the publisher, I always have that same bad that we would probably see an
apprehensive feeling; how will my article be perceived? The most abundance of deaths caused from it. I
dreaded thought I have is that it will be perceived as boring and turned to my wife Chris and said “ I’ll
the reader will immediately turn the page and move on to the next go to our local pharmacy tomorrow
article. I would imagine if that were the case I probably wouldn’t morning and get a flu shot.” She just
still be doing this and so maybe my apprehension is for naught. smiled at me and said “Good choice
We have all seen movies and T.V. shows of the writer sitting at Barnett,” and never said another
the computer screen and looking at the cursor endlessly blinking word about it. I did get my shot the
and yet no words appear. If you haven’t ever been there, I can tell next day, for $54.00, I didn’t like the
you it’s extremely frustrating and after I termed out as Mayor in alternative!
2012, I found this to be the case many times. After all, I can’t write It was September 11th, 2014 and I was driving west on Golden
comprehensive political articles about our City, that’s the Mayor’s Gate Parkway and I happened to glance to my right at the Naples
job and he does it well. I can’t write about Naples Real Estate and Freedom Memorial now aptly named after County Commissioner
how buyers are buying property almost as fast as they are listed at Fred Coyle who started the project some years ago. There must be
prices that are sometimes beyond belief, in every article, that would well over a hundred thousand people a year who drive by that park
be boring and we read enough about that daily. I can’t write every daily and never give it a thought that the beautiful Memorial has
month about how great our restaurants are, what a phenomenal never been finished as it stands there being viewed by all as a stark
season we are about to have, how beautiful our medians are, and piece of granite and stone jutting into the sky. I’m sure there are
the list goes on endlessly. However, with all of that being said, I many who must wonder what it is. We are in Naples Florida, and
still find myself looking forward to hitting that “send” button each we are one of the if not the most giving communities in the world.
month, and with approximately 16 months left before I’m done I decided at that moment and after working as a volunteer and
with my political career I still think I have some good articles to doing charity auctions for so many wonderful organizations for
write! Who knows maybe when my career is finished somebody the last 30 years in Naples, that it’s time to finish this Memorial! I
might actually pay me to write something! (extremely doubtful) approached our Fire Chief and ran the idea by him and told him
It is Flu season and the city of Naples always offers its
I would like to help raise the money to help finish the project. The
employees free Flu shots, how could anyone pass that up? I got my idea was well received and at the same time I was sharing this with
shot last year and then the day before Thanksgiving I found myself him, and unbeknownst to me, our Mayor John Sorey had a similar
feeling like I had been beaten up, plain and simple. I figured it was thought and we were similarly but separately pursuing the same
probably one of those 24 hour bugs that go around and I took end result. He started the ball rolling, and formed a sensational
some Excedrin and just took it easy for the rest of the day. Well, committee comprised of community people who don’t do projects
long story short this whatever it was lasted until two days after for the name recognition, they do them because they care. There
Christmas. I lost 8 pounds, went through a battery of tests, and will be a Gala event in February to raise the needed funds to finish
they came back that it was viral and I would just have to ride it this worthwhile project and I am proud that I will be the emcee
out, which I did, and finally I felt good again. Of course, I blamed that evening. This is one project that from school age children to
it on the Flu shot and made a solemn oath that I would never senior citizens like me, we all have a stake in this to get it finished.
get another one, no doubts about it. So when they were offered I’m not 100% sure at the time of this writing exactly how much
again in October I held my ground much to the objections of my needs to be raised, but I think it’s in the vicinity of one million
wife and my family, but I wasn’t giving an inch and I didn’t take five hundred thousand dollars and I am confident that our Naples
advantage of the City’s offer, I’d show them. Well, last week I flew Community can accomplish this. We have much to be thankful
to Lake Placid, New York to close up our summer place and the for so please help us raise the funds.
weather there had turned cold with temperatures in the low 40’s. Happy, Healthy, Holidays to all and thanks for making Naples
My wife Chris and I were watching television on a Saturday night the special place that it is!
48 Life in Naples | December 2014
potpourri
by Councilman Bill Barnett
T oday is November 2nd, and as I write this December
when the nightly news came on and
article for Life in Naples I find myself reflecting the many the broadcaster was talking about
years that I have been writing articles month after month, what a bad Flu season this season was
year after year. As I finish each article and just before I hit the send going to be and it was going to be so
button to send my article to the publisher, I always have that same bad that we would probably see an
apprehensive feeling; how will my article be perceived? The most abundance of deaths caused from it. I
dreaded thought I have is that it will be perceived as boring and turned to my wife Chris and said “ I’ll
the reader will immediately turn the page and move on to the next go to our local pharmacy tomorrow
article. I would imagine if that were the case I probably wouldn’t morning and get a flu shot.” She just
still be doing this and so maybe my apprehension is for naught. smiled at me and said “Good choice
We have all seen movies and T.V. shows of the writer sitting at Barnett,” and never said another
the computer screen and looking at the cursor endlessly blinking word about it. I did get my shot the
and yet no words appear. If you haven’t ever been there, I can tell next day, for $54.00, I didn’t like the
you it’s extremely frustrating and after I termed out as Mayor in alternative!
2012, I found this to be the case many times. After all, I can’t write It was September 11th, 2014 and I was driving west on Golden
comprehensive political articles about our City, that’s the Mayor’s Gate Parkway and I happened to glance to my right at the Naples
job and he does it well. I can’t write about Naples Real Estate and Freedom Memorial now aptly named after County Commissioner
how buyers are buying property almost as fast as they are listed at Fred Coyle who started the project some years ago. There must be
prices that are sometimes beyond belief, in every article, that would well over a hundred thousand people a year who drive by that park
be boring and we read enough about that daily. I can’t write every daily and never give it a thought that the beautiful Memorial has
month about how great our restaurants are, what a phenomenal never been finished as it stands there being viewed by all as a stark
season we are about to have, how beautiful our medians are, and piece of granite and stone jutting into the sky. I’m sure there are
the list goes on endlessly. However, with all of that being said, I many who must wonder what it is. We are in Naples Florida, and
still find myself looking forward to hitting that “send” button each we are one of the if not the most giving communities in the world.
month, and with approximately 16 months left before I’m done I decided at that moment and after working as a volunteer and
with my political career I still think I have some good articles to doing charity auctions for so many wonderful organizations for
write! Who knows maybe when my career is finished somebody the last 30 years in Naples, that it’s time to finish this Memorial! I
might actually pay me to write something! (extremely doubtful) approached our Fire Chief and ran the idea by him and told him
It is Flu season and the city of Naples always offers its
I would like to help raise the money to help finish the project. The
employees free Flu shots, how could anyone pass that up? I got my idea was well received and at the same time I was sharing this with
shot last year and then the day before Thanksgiving I found myself him, and unbeknownst to me, our Mayor John Sorey had a similar
feeling like I had been beaten up, plain and simple. I figured it was thought and we were similarly but separately pursuing the same
probably one of those 24 hour bugs that go around and I took end result. He started the ball rolling, and formed a sensational
some Excedrin and just took it easy for the rest of the day. Well, committee comprised of community people who don’t do projects
long story short this whatever it was lasted until two days after for the name recognition, they do them because they care. There
Christmas. I lost 8 pounds, went through a battery of tests, and will be a Gala event in February to raise the needed funds to finish
they came back that it was viral and I would just have to ride it this worthwhile project and I am proud that I will be the emcee
out, which I did, and finally I felt good again. Of course, I blamed that evening. This is one project that from school age children to
it on the Flu shot and made a solemn oath that I would never senior citizens like me, we all have a stake in this to get it finished.
get another one, no doubts about it. So when they were offered I’m not 100% sure at the time of this writing exactly how much
again in October I held my ground much to the objections of my needs to be raised, but I think it’s in the vicinity of one million
wife and my family, but I wasn’t giving an inch and I didn’t take five hundred thousand dollars and I am confident that our Naples
advantage of the City’s offer, I’d show them. Well, last week I flew Community can accomplish this. We have much to be thankful
to Lake Placid, New York to close up our summer place and the for so please help us raise the funds.
weather there had turned cold with temperatures in the low 40’s. Happy, Healthy, Holidays to all and thanks for making Naples
My wife Chris and I were watching television on a Saturday night the special place that it is!
48 Life in Naples | December 2014
