Mayor’s Row…………..by Ned Mitchell
Thank God for small towns like Sesser and thank God for the people like Sesser
resident Jack Mygatt who make up the fiber of America. Last week’s column found
me writing a story about the first snowman that little Carrigan and myself
constructed on the lawn of our home in Sesser and the lack of stoker coal for
the snowman’s eyes and mouth. The fact that I could not find any stoker coal and
the memories it brought back to me found me fielding dozens of comments from
readers all over the United States. It was an illustration about the coal mines
and the jobs we once had that are now gone.
Within a few days of that column being published Sesser resident Jack Mygatt
caught up with me coming out of my business on Main Street in Sesser. He had
stopped and rolled down the window on his truck. I walked over and he handed me
a Dream Whip plastic container with the words “Carrigan’s snowman eyes” written
on the lid with a felt tip marker. I opened the container and discovered it was
full of good old fashioned black stoker coal, just what I had been looking for
but did not know where to find it. Jack revealed that he still burns stoker coal
at his home and I was truly amazed! He drove off and I turned and to be honest
got a little misty eyed as I thought about that next snowman and the memory that
Carrigan and I would share and that she would always remember the coal and Jack
Mygatt. Bring on the snow! By the way, if you ever knew Jack’s dad, Everett
“Slim” Mygatt, you would understand Jack. Slim was a good source for fixing
anything always at no cost and was a great Sesser resident. It was always an
enjoyable trip when I stopped by Slim’s huge garage behind his house and visited
with him.
Congratulations to the Sesser-Valier Junior High boys basketball team,
cheerleaders, coaches, and fans for winning third place in the Class M State
Basketball Tournament last week. Brian Gipson does an outstanding job with these
young boys and is the consummate coach right down to his Red Devil necktie. The
Opera House hosted a pizza party for the team and parents in the upstairs Woll
Banquet Room. Pizza was brought in by Anjo’s Pizza of Sesser, about 35 large
pizzas I believe and they disappeared in a flash.
Visiting with various parents and grandparents brought me around to former
neighbor and retired coal miner Jim Dorris. As I surveyed the room full of kids
having their pizza party I commented to Jim what a great bunch of young people
we had in that room. I then said it is really sad that most of them will grow
up, graduate high school, go to college and never come back. Isn’t it really
tragic that our young people have to find employment outside the area? Jim then
said at one time Sesser had some 300 coal miners living here who made $60,000 a
year. Quickly in my head I began to calculate the other 12,000 or so miners in
Illinois who have lost their jobs and multiplied that by $60,000 each per year
in wages. Being the political person I am I thought about how much income tax
that brought to state and local coffers and it is no wonder this state is broke!
When people don’t have jobs, they don’t pay taxes. When they don’t have good
jobs, they don’t have money to buy cars, televisions, build new houses and a
whole host of other things that people do when times are good. If there are any
politicians, democrats in particular since they control everything in Illinois,
you might want to do something about the business climate in this state. If I
were still in Springfield I would be embarrassed to be a democrat and be a part
of what is going on in this state!
Former Sesser resident Kathy West was successful in her bid to become a delegate
committed to Hillary Clinton in last week’s primary election. We all worked for
Kathy over this way and are excited about her going to Denver for the Democratic
National Convention. I have heard a lot about the Super Delegates at conventions
recently and thought I would do a little research. Both democrats and
republicans have Super Delegates. Democrats have a total of 796 Super Delegates
that have not been elected by the voters in the most recent primary. Illinois
has 32 Super Delegates including all democratic member of Congress, Governor,
members of the Democratic National Committee and “add-ons”.
What this means is that even though we have just been through a whole series of
primary elections where delegates were voted in, we have 796 people floating
around out there who will more than likely sway the selection of either Barack
Obama or Hillary Clinton. The “add-ons” were created by the democrats to make
sure affirmative action goals were met for the convention. Whatever!
The democratic nominee will have to have 2,025 delegates to win the right to run
for President. Since this nomination for the Democrats appears to be going down
to the wire with neither candidate having a clear majority, more than likely
this will be decided by the Super Delegates none of whom have been elected in
the latest primaries. Talk about democracy in action! Among the Illinois Super
Delegates are Senate President Emil Jones, Speaker of the House Mike Madigan,
and that great reformer/unreformer Governor of ours Rod Blagojevich. Are we in
good hands or what? Throw in another handful for hacks and union big wigs who
are controlled like puppets on a string and we have a recipe for disaster in
Denver. One last thing, even though Kathy West and chosen as a delegate she
still could be pushed out of the way for a “add-on” if Democrat control freaks
decide that our affirmative action goals have not been met. She could be
replaced by someone else who may or may not have been a candidate in our
primary. Again, WHATEVER!
Work has been fast and furious at the historic Sesser Opera House the past
couple of weeks as finishing touches are being made on the set for “Barefoot in
the Park” by Neil Simon. Actors and actresses are fine tuning their lines;
volunteers are painting and building the set. City employees are cleaning the
building and technicians are adjusting the lights and such for the show.
What can you do you ask? Come have dinner with us and see this show. This
theater was built in 1914 and has been meticulously restored to its’ original
condition plus central heat and air for comfort. The theater was built for live
theater and vaudeville performances and we are attempting to bring back that for
modern times. Thursday, Valentine’s Day is opening night for the play. We are
featuring a romantic candlelight dinner in the Café and a show in the theater.
Dinner is $10.00 and tickets are the same so two people could have a great night
out for $40.00. Tickets are available at the door and dinner reservations are
not required. The play continues on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00 pm and
Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm. We invite you to come and relive history as it was
in 1914 and make a new memory or two for yourself and your family for the
future. If you need information call 625-5322 or 927-0860.
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