Fourth of July, 2018
Fourth
of July
I
hope everyone enjoyed the fourth of July.In
1814 Fort McHenry was relentlessly bombarded by the British. The
pounding was so sever that
according
to quote on The
Smithsonian's web site
that
has been attributed to Francis Scott Key, the author of the Star
Spangled Banner "It seemed as though mother earth had opened and
was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone,".
The attack lasted so long and was so intense that no one expected the
Americans to survive. When dawn finally broke the American flag did
still fly over the fort. The British had not taken the fort and the
determination of the Amnerican soldier was reveled to be unwavering.
What Keys did not know at them time when he wrote the poem that later
became our National Anthem was that several times during the night
the flag pole had been struck and fallen and each time another man
would venture fourth, right our flag and more often than not meet
their own fate. It is this legacy that we celebrate each year on the
fourth of July. While this battle took place in September, many
believe this to be a critical turning point in the war. This year
when you see those rockets bursting in air during the fireworks
display, remember what those bright colors and loud booms truly
represent. For all the patriots that have continued on in the
Tradition of Fort McHenry and placed themselves in harms way to be
vigilant for all of our freedoms, THANK YOU! Know that for you, our
faithful defenders, that with each burst in the sky this fourth of
July that we are thinking of you.
No
heavy trucks on 5th
In
the past the City has not been overly concerned about heavy traffic
on fifth street since the road surface was in such poor condition. A
couple of years ago we finished a section of fifth street and we are
planning on doing more this fall. The new road surface was not
designed to carry more weight than the road was originally designed
for; therefore, it is important that we now help people understand
that the road will be damaged if large heavy vehicles travel up and
down fifth street heading east from downtown. There has been some
confusion recently about the weight limit signs, the road is posted
at 5 tons and this is total vehicle weight, not a per axle rating.
The City wants to keep our new road in perfect condition as long as
possible, and by following the weight limitations for our road we
will more likely be able to be successful. Thanks for understanding.
Stage
Coach Days
Thank
You to all the volunteers that worked so hard to make this years SCD
a success. I really enjoyed the Baking Contest and it was very hard
to choose a single winner. After the judging we auctioned off the top
three best pies for charity. Thank you to everyone that come down to
bid on the winners. I did want to include a picture from this
weekend.
Elections
August
14 is primary election day in Minnesota. In Minnesota we have an
edorsing process. During endorsement, a candidate is chosen from a
number of candidates to run on a given party's ticket for a
particular office. If one of those candidates chooses to not honor
the party's endorsement, that candidate can then “force a primary”
if this happens then the party's candidate is chosen from the names
presented on a primary ballot during a election that is a few months
prior to the general election. The candidate that chooses to
challenge an endorsed candidate will often campaign saying things
like “we don't want a few political elite choosing our candidate”.
How are these “political elite” chosen then? In March of an
election year, we as Minnesotans, go to our local precinct caucus
where we talk about issues and ideas that are important to us. The
causes is attended by your neighbors, this is the smallest population
division for political purposes, these are the people you see every
day. During the caucus, we choose some individuals to represent us at
the County convention, where the ideas we spoke about at caucus are
collected and prepared to be presented to the State Party. The County
convention then chooses people to represent us at the Congressional
District and State Conventions. The “political elite” are those
neighbors we choose to talk to the candidates, do research, consider
our concerns and represent our views when selecting a candidate for
our party's endorsement. Too often the non-endorsed candidate has
connections to out-of-state financial tools and feels that they can
outspend the endorsed candidate and simply buy an election. I find it
very intriguing when this happens and when that same candidate then
talks about political insiders. This year both major parties (DFL,
MNGOP) have primaries in both the First Congressional District as
well as the Governors race. This year both parties have the ability
to determine if the individual voter believes in our grass-roots
endorsing process, or if our elections are up for sale. I strongly
encourage everyone to vote this August in one of the two parties
primary elections and reaffirm our commitment to the endorsing
process. Your Choice Minnesota!
Township
blocking trails
During
the Township meeting on June 4th, The City of Mantorville shared an
area of cooperation with the Township. The City of Mantorville is
working on a local sidewalk up along fifth street. There was an
opportunity for the Township to enjoy some cost savings by working
with the DNR on a trail segment along fifth street past Mantorville.
When asked if they had any interest in helping kids from those
existing development have a safe path into the city the Townships
reply was "Not at this time".
The City of
Mantorville, the DNR and the Stage Coach Trails association will
continue to work on finding safe, enjoyable recreational
opportunities and identify alternative paths.
Mayor's
Blog
I
have a blog that I keep updated. There is a link on the City's web
site to my blog which is located at MayorBradford.BlogSpot.Com. In my
blog I have additional articles, photos and updates that do not make
it into my periodic article. Please check out the articles on-line
and add a comment if you so desire.
Yours
in Service
Chuck Bradford
Mayor, City of
Mantorville
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.Com
