Mayor’s Row……by Ned Mitchell
Despite my ramblings, ranting, and raving about what all is wrong in society, there are still many good people in our area of the world. Last week friends, family, and co-workers of the late Jamie Dorris Phoenix held a poker run that originated in Sesser, Jamie’s home town. Jamie grew up across the street from me and was the daughter of Wanda and Jim Dorris. Out for an evening walk with a neighbor Jamie was accidentally killed leaving behind her husband and daughter Taylor. As we can all imagine the whole family has had some very tough days since then and while they think of Jamie every single day, they also know that Taylor has a future and a life that will need her family. In a touching move those family, friends, and co-workers of Jamie’s put together this poker run and raised over $10,000.00 for Taylor’s education. We continue to remember the Dorris family in our thoughts and prayers but events like this help us understand that we are not alone in this world and others do care when there is a personal loss. It speaks well of all of those involved. My hat is off to you and thanks for a job well done!
Make plans now to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Sesser Homecoming. The event will be in the city park the third weekend in June, as always. The entertainment lineup is free and includes Gene Watson, Michael Twitty, Carl Acuff, Jr. a battle of the bands contest and many others. There will also be carnival rides, great bar-b-que, roasted corn on the cob and other fair food. Other entertainment that is free includes a horse pull, car show, antique tractor pull, horse show and a parade. All events are free but it would be nice if you purchased a ticket from a queen, prince or princess candidate for a free trip for two to Hawaii. Money received from ticket sales goes to pay for the free entertainment and a portion of the profit from the concession sales goes to the Sesser-Valier Booster Club. The Homecoming Association throughout the year also helps fund special projects that help make our city look great. It starts Wednesday June 15th and runs through the 18th. If you need a flyer sent to you or information, call us at 625-3611 or 625-5322. We hope to see you there!
Following right after homecoming on June 22, which is a Wednesday, at 7:30 pm the historic Sesser Opera House will host a concert the likes of which Sesser has never known. The Chicago Chamber Orchestra will be in concert that night, but it gets even better than that. In addition to Chicago professional musicians will also be David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra and rated as among the top three violinists in the world, Adam Felleg, International Piano Soloist from Hungary, and Marcy Chanteaux on Cello from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In all there will be over 30 world famous professional musicians in live concert at the historic Sesser Opera House. The afternoon of the 22nd will feature a free kids concert at 2:00 pm and this will give area kids not only a chance to hear a world class performance but they will also be able to interact with the musicians. The only problem we have with this concert is there are only 350 seats available and they are being sold on a first come first served basis. You may buy your ticket by calling 625-3611 or 625-5322. Prices are $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for students and seniors. We hope you will be able to join us for this great concert!
As of right now we have tagged 87 vehicles sitting in people’s yards in Sesser for removal. We have begun towing many of those and will eventually get around to the rest of them. We’ve been called every name in the book and then some but we are more determined than ever to rid Sesser of this problem. We have decided to make this a monthly program instead of the annual clean up. Folks have 12 months to accumulate as many as 9 vehicles found in one yard so we’re just going to start towing them as we see them in the future. Despite the claims of some folks, we are not harassing people. Your neighbors don’t want to look at junk in your yard and we don’t either. If you can’t clean it up, we can, and we will file a lien on your property to pay for the work. We paid to have some vehicles towed from one site and the owner promptly went to the tow yard and hauled the vehicles back to the yard and dumped them. We have sited that person with nine tickets that will require an appearance in circuit court. In addition to asking the court to order the vehicles removed we will also ask for fines on each ticket, court costs, and attorney’s fees. This could get expensive for the land owner but if they want their day in court they are entitled to it and we will accommodate their request. It will be interesting to hear their side of the story as told to a judge on why they need a yard full of junk vehicles in a residential neighborhood. Stay tuned, more tickets are forthcoming!
While my dad says I’m beginning to sound a lot like a republican and columnist Jim Muir says its hard to find a good democrat anymore, I still consider myself a good democrat. I don’t however march lock step with the democratic party and really feel they are absolutely out of touch not only on the national and state level, but also on the local level. The reformer/unreformer governor has a scandal a week in his administration that is mostly being looted by Chicago pals and hoods, Franklin County democrats have their own scandals including the Regional Superintendent and some of his staff under indictment, real estate board of review members whose family I am told have gone for several years with a new house not listed on the tax rolls. When you consider that in at least the last three local democrat primary elections the party has endorsed a candidate that in turn got trounced on election day. For instance the entire Franklin County board and the county democratic party organization made no bones about endorsing the incumbent candidate for state’s attorney, but voters went the other way big time and nominated the challenger, a new comer to the political process. So I can see where we as a party might be out of touch locally as well as state and nationally.
Sadly the democrats, in my opinion, are walking away from the blue collar workers that made the party strong. We are more interested on the national and state levels worrying about gun control, gay rights, abortion and other such issues that main stream America has turned from the party and left. I find it strange that I can burn a flag in my yard, but don’t dare burn a pile of leaves. Such issues as this make me wonder exactly why I am a democrat. Yet I am a democrat and don’t make any apology for it. We are going to have to band together though and clean house if we are to stay viable as a party and there is no better place to start than right here. I still believe the democrat party represents the common people and their need for government assistance, not hand outs. Its just that we have allowed some people to grab the reins of the party we once knew and it is up to us to take control back. If we don’t, this party will cease to exist in the next decade or two.
I’m not sure at this point on who to believe about the recently passed state budget. Democrats say the pension holiday will save 30 billion dollars in the long run and republicans say it will cost us 26 billion more. According to the Chicago Sun Times the Chicago teachers, state lawmakers, and judges pensions are left untouched. I’m wondering if they are taking a pension holiday along with the rest of us? If the average state worker is being treated differently than lawmakers, judges, and Chicago school teachers, I have a problem with that. But all is not lost. Even though we are losing 160 good paying union jobs in Jefferson County and 230 jobs in Du Quoin, we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the state is giving away 3 million dollars to have a little league baseball team in Marion. Now there is some real meat and potatoes economic development. We should pat everyone on the back for that bold adventure with tax payer money! Hot dog and beer vendors will replace well paid factory workers. Somehow that just does not seem right. Wonder what kind of benefits those vendors will have?
Give us a call at 625-3611, 625-5322, or 625-5788 or email nedmitchell@verizon.net or www.sesser.org for questions, comments, or suggestions.
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