Happy Fourth of July

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 5^th

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