At dinner last month, just days before Auburn city manager John Salomone announced he was leaving for Newington, Conn., the topic of the mis-timed traffic lights in Auburn came up.
One of the ladies at the table, we will call her Fran (yes, she has appeared in someone else's column on occasion) asked why I had not written on the subject in some months.
I had found a kindred soul who thought the subject humorous (only in columns) and maddening (when trying to get from her home to almost anywhere).
I said that I had given up on the subject for now - that the city's leadership (in the form of Salomone) dismissed it as not worthy of their time, or at least not a problem.
And it probably isn't if you only had to go through but four lights to get to work or drive 10 to 20 miles above the posted speed limit.
But for some reason one would think that the officers serving under police chief Gary Giannotta might have a problem with such speeds.
After a little good-natured kidding, I pledged that once Salomone had left office I would bring up the topic in a column.
Well, he finished on Wednesday and this is the first column to run since his departure. So here it goes:
Dear interim city manager Michael Long,
We all know that you will have your plate full in the coming months, trying to not only deal with a myriad of day-to-day crises that face city managers, but to resolve dozens of outstanding issues that have been left to you as you try to move the city forward.
Yet, just like making sure the trash is picked up, that water comes out of the faucet and wastewater ends up at the sewage treatment plant, there are other little items that can make all the difference to the folks that pay your salary - items like being able to get from one end of the city to the other on the Arterial, Genesee Street, North Street or State Street without having to stop at every single traffic light.
We all know that you also have the added advantage or pressure (depending on your point of view) that the city council and public are seeing how you handle things right now as a possible test of whether you should lead the city permanently.
Getting the city's lights timed is a way that will show councilors and the public that you are someone who can get things done.
Your predecessor didn't do it. Can you?
Yes, this is a little bit of a test of sorts and to a degree, it is a challenge.
Let's see how you do.
All the best and good luck.
Guy (and Fran and all the other drivers/taxpayers who are frustrated.)
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com
I had found a kindred soul who thought the subject humorous (only in columns) and maddening (when trying to get from her home to almost anywhere).
I said that I had given up on the subject for now - that the city's leadership (in the form of Salomone) dismissed it as not worthy of their time, or at least not a problem.
And it probably isn't if you only had to go through but four lights to get to work or drive 10 to 20 miles above the posted speed limit.
But for some reason one would think that the officers serving under police chief Gary Giannotta might have a problem with such speeds.
After a little good-natured kidding, I pledged that once Salomone had left office I would bring up the topic in a column.
Well, he finished on Wednesday and this is the first column to run since his departure. So here it goes:
Dear interim city manager Michael Long,
We all know that you will have your plate full in the coming months, trying to not only deal with a myriad of day-to-day crises that face city managers, but to resolve dozens of outstanding issues that have been left to you as you try to move the city forward.
Yet, just like making sure the trash is picked up, that water comes out of the faucet and wastewater ends up at the sewage treatment plant, there are other little items that can make all the difference to the folks that pay your salary - items like being able to get from one end of the city to the other on the Arterial, Genesee Street, North Street or State Street without having to stop at every single traffic light.
We all know that you also have the added advantage or pressure (depending on your point of view) that the city council and public are seeing how you handle things right now as a possible test of whether you should lead the city permanently.
Getting the city's lights timed is a way that will show councilors and the public that you are someone who can get things done.
Your predecessor didn't do it. Can you?
Yes, this is a little bit of a test of sorts and to a degree, it is a challenge.
Let's see how you do.
All the best and good luck.
Guy (and Fran and all the other drivers/taxpayers who are frustrated.)
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com
