Mayor’s Row…..by Ned Mitchell

                We always here from politicians every election year asking each of us to examine our lives and then compare that to how things were for us the previous election.  Incumbents sometimes would rather not talk about how things are today compared to how things were the last time they ran.  Former President Ronald Reagan perfected this theory while running for office and used the answer that each of us gave to beat his democratic opponent over the head.  President Reagan was elected to two terms by the American people and just this past week our own goof-ball governor once again admitted that he voted for President Reagan not once but twice.  I bring that up for my democrat friends who think I am too harsh on the governor and question my party loyalty.  You, my friends might question your own party loyalty for returning this governor to office when you had a golden opportunity to do the right thing and send him on his way a year ago.  Now we simply have to wait on the federal prosecutors to do their job and solve this problem for us.  The only bad thing about that is the longer this guy stays in office the more damage he does to the democrats who elected him.  Governor Blagojevich, the reformer/unreformer is dismantling the Democratic party much the same as George Ryan did the republicans.

                Back to the initial question, the one incumbents sometimes refuse to ask and when someone else asks it, they don’t like the answer.  I’ll just take my own circumstances and make comparisons then let you be the judge of how this fits in your life.  One the income side I am a worker that is covered by a union contract which guarantees me a pay raise each year.  I actually carry three union cards, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the Communication Workers of America.  I have received a 1.5% pay raise in each of the last two years which translates to about $100.00 per month.

                Looking at my utility bill the past month I thought I was charged fairly when the bottom line on my bill said that I owed $259.83 for electricity and natural gas.  Reasonable, I said to myself as we have a decent size home with a finished basement.  We have installed new windows and insulation in the walls and attic of our older home to conserve energy usage.  A quick check of our home this morning found the temperature at 60 degrees in our bedroom, 72 in the baby’s room and 64 in the living room, kitchen and basement.  We hardly are sweating at home!  I rarely read my utility bill and mainly just look at the bottom line and pay that amount.  This time I read the second page and noticed that I had received something called a General Assembly Rate Relief Credit in the amount of $170.36.  In all reality my bill was a whopping $430.19.  Once that rate relief is gone and I am not sure of much but I can promise you this will continue at least until after the February election here in Illinois.  Our city power bill has more than doubled which will force the city to raise your utility rate for water and sewer to make up the difference.   The home owner will get it twice when that happens.

                The same day that I discover the power bill issue I made a trip to the local Amoco for gasoline for my car.  I filled up the Dodge at a cost of $56.25.  We have two cars that we fill up once a week and the cost for fuel is roughly the same for both vehicles.  That fill up a year or so ago would have cost us less than $40.00.  Doing the math here we quickly see that my utility bill is now costing me $215.00 more per month than it did last year and gasoline is costing me $128.00 more per month.  When we throw in the increased cost of food, insurance, cable TV, phones, postage stamps, and just about everything we use, the answer to the original question is simple.  Obviously I am taking in $100.00 more each month but I am spending $343.00 more on just gasoline and utility costs putting me in the hole by $243.00 each month.

                By now you can see where this is going and so since most of our incumbent politicians will not be asking this question because they already know the answer, I’ll step up and ask it for them.  Are you better off than you were two years ago?  Where is this going to lead in this upcoming election?  I encouraged a friend to go vote over the weekend since they would not be here on Election Day.  The discussion started out with the voter telling me “before you even get started promoting your candidates, don’t ask me to vote for anyone who is presently in office because I will not do that.”  If I were an incumbent I would be mighty nervous right now!  Asking the voters to compare their lot in life today as it was a year or two ago is mighty dangerous for an incumbent.  My guess is that question will be avoided by politicians in the upcoming months.

                There is good news on the Sesser front however.  We have two new businesses up and running.  Elite Auto Sales a well known business in Williamson County for over 20 years has purchased the old Huck’s Convenience store at our four way stop and has a lot full of very nice pre-owned cars and trucks.  The business is a welcome addition to Sesser and certainly helps add to the overall look of our business district. 

                Jim and Joyce Price have purchased the old Sesser Lumber Company property on the East end of our Main Street and are manufacturing a new line of home crafts.  The business is called Vintage Uniques Country Store and they can be found at 618-625-6270, 618-927-5090 or vintageuniqs@yahoo.com .

                We welcome both of these new businesses to our Sesser family and encourage each of you to visit all of our businesses and give them a chance before you buy!

                Also in the line of congratulations we join friends, family, and neighbors of Brent and Melissa Gunter as they have brought a new little boy into the world.  Cody Raymond J Gunter was born on December 31, 2007.  He is the 6th grandchild of Hershal and Joyce Gunter, all of them boys, the 28^th great grandchild of Clara Crocker Brown.

                It always does my heart good to brag on Sesser residents and I try to keep track of those who have had to move from the area to find employment and in the course of their moves have made noteworthy moves in life that should make all of us proud.  Keith Kirkpatrick, son of Sesserites Bob and Lucille Kirkpatrick was recently honored as the recipient of the Northwest Indiana World Trade Council’s Tai-Pan award.  Keith has made many trips to teach students in Belarus in a university setting.  Belarus is a former Soviet republic.  The Tai-Pan award is translated meaning Chinese business big shot and Keith was recognized as a local individual who works in international business.  We are very proud of Keith as he has left us in Sesser but still represents us worldwide.