JULY 8 - JULY 14, 2000
JULY 14, 2K
Sleeping sickness
Good morning. It is 58.1 degrees at 6:36 on a foggy Friday morning. The title of
today's article came from one of our readers. In fact three of our readers from outside
the area have a few things to say about yesterday's article.
Hey Bud, top of the evenin 'to you and Sharyn. Hope everything is going well
for you folks. Pardon my typing, never was a strong suit. Anyway,
about the
mutants strollin' the streets of Bradford, if I remember right, we did talk
about that when I did that bit of work for you when you were doin' your best
to help out the folks who live in that neighborhood. And, wasn't Mr. Sleeping
Beauty's former wife among those wondering mutants?
We both know what he did, not just him, but the union's finest did about
that.
Anyway, just wanted to say hello to you and Sharyn, and 'course bitch a
little.
Hell, even here in MS where they didn't have a mandatory education bill 'till 1992,
the streets aren't as littered with mutants as they are in Hornetown, I mean
Bradford. Too bad we couldn't have done what needed to be done, when there
was an opportunity. We would have helped a lot of people. Well, take care of
each other, and keep up the good work. Terry
Well said, my friend. Good to hear from you. Of course that was another time when I
was a minority of one in three. We had an opportunity and unfortunately you and I were the
only ones who saw it. You didn't address why I left the authority, but you hit it on the
head in a different direction. This next reader from Williamsport does.
I'm attaching an article that appeared in the
July 13th edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. I found it ironic that your
publishers page today questioned why your resignation from the airport authority made
front page news and why Mr Semenko's resignation did not. The article even quotes a
planner from Warren County. I wonder if anyone from McKean County attended the
meeting?
Imagine a gateway to the Lumber Heritage Region located in
Bradford adjacent to Route 219, a highway envinsioned to be a major route between Canada,
Buffalo, The MidAtlantic, all the way to Florida. My what Bradford could do. A
trailhead co-located with the Tuna Trail System (what a better gateway to the Lumber
Heritage Region), a visitors center with information and displays about visiting Zippo,
The Oil Museum, the regions lumber history, the railroad history, including Kinzua Bridge,
and other areas of interest of the county. A major visitors center could even
promote the areas of the surrounding counties, the Lumber Musuem between Coudy and
Galeton, Ski Denton, Kinzua Dam, etc.......I can vision a replica of the Erie passenger
station buit on the location of the Bovaird building downtown. Imagine a reason to
bring people to downtown.
But alas, was there even a representative there? I also
remember seeing an article in The Buffalo News a few months ago concerning Mesa Airlines
looking at airports to locate a maintenance facility. The leading contenders were
Reading, PA, DuBois, PA, and Jamestown, NY. You would think an airport that is
struggling to stay alive, with one of the longest runways in the region would've actively
pursued Mesa. But alas, were they even aware, I mean it wasn't reported in The
Bradford Era. I was disappointed that you didn't even address the issue in any of
your columns.
It seems that the people in this county that can make a
difference, will only attempt to make a difference if it benefits them directly.
The accompanying article was about a Lumber Heritage Museum. My son recently
visited it and came back with a glowing report. However, it is not located in McKean
County and not of interest to the people who count.
And it is a shame that no one could attend meetings in Warren. But they have the
county wrapped up again and everyone on the same team so we are back where they want us.
As for the Mesa maintenance facility, it was not worth mentioning. We would have had
to build them a hanger or have a hanger for them. We did not and could not. Instead we
built a leaky hanger for a few select rich guys to keep their planes, one of which did the
work and then complained that his design was no good. That's the McKean County way.
But perhaps this one sums it up best.
Mr. Beck. I was surprised that you stuck it out as long as you did. I used to attend
the Airport meetings. Nothing ever happened. Every month we discussed the same things. The
engineers came in and reported on the same subjects. Eventually the projects would be
completed and then for the next six months they would report they were completed.
What new business that would be proposed would be set aside to be investigated by Mr.
Stratton and you knew as well as I, that never happened.
Frustration was the word to describe what we both felt. Anything, including the
building of a new hanger, which was ill thought and poorly conceived, was better that the
malaise that sits on that board.
Larry Stratton is a poor leader. It is an insult to poor leaders to put them in the
same category and it would be best to describe him as a non-leader who assumes the role.
While I didn't always agree with you, at least you were willing to try something new
whether it was getting someone else to run the restaurant or build that hanger. And you
are right about Zippo and the Free Trade Zone.
It is unfortunate that you of all people gave up, but when I consider your stance on
fun and money, it does make sense. You know you tried. The County is the big loser. I
believe they know it every day that nothing new happens and your County sinks back into
the pit it was in before you took office. Best of luck to you. (Name and Position
withheld).
And with that, have a nice weekend. Comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
JULY 13, 2K
No news is no news
Good morning. It is 57.4 degrees at 6:27 A.M. Had an awful lot of e-mail to read
this morning and I enjoyed it all. Thank you. I will reply as I can.
So nothing changes.
When Jack Semenko resigned from the airport authority, it was not a headline. He
resigned and was replaced. However, when I resign somehow it becomes a headline. What a
joke.
Beck resigns from airport authority
That was today's headline. The accompanying story went on to say that I was not
available for comment.
To set everyone straight I faxed the following to the commissioners yesterday morning.
Gentlemen: Effective immediately please accept my resignation from the Bradford
Airport Authority. I regret the my private business activities have consumed so much of my
time that I have been unable to devote the time necessary to perform my duties as a Board
Member. Sincerely, Harold T. Beck.
That is a headline?
Evidently, not much is happening in Dogpatch.
Sharyn and I were having drinks the night before out on the back deck. We were enjoying
ourselves talking about our day, our grandson, our children and the usual stuff old
married people like us talk about at the end of the day. I mentioned the Airport meeting
to her and said it was the next day. It was at that point that we decided if something in
our life wasn't fun or making us money then it wasn't worth doing. The Airport Authority
was one of those things.
I missed two meetings this year looking for Marjorie West, something I felt was
eminently more important than the Airport. Besides, the Bradford Area Alliance was on the
job finding consultants. What use could I be? Finding Marjorie West would be an
accomplishment that no one could put down and it would be a genuine service to the
community. I was sick for one of the others and I think I forgot the other one. Oh well.
Only Larry Stratton makes all the meetings and then he sleeps.
I guess I could have knocked the Airport as I resigned, but why? Everyone knows the
problems there. After awhile you get tired repeating yourself. All the consultants in the
world will not fix them. Emery Mahan of Warren knew and said as much when he resigned.
That was never a headline.
Four years ago I suggested we make Bradford Regional Airport a Free Trade Zone.
Everyone talked about it and it was forgotten. It would cost about $75,000 a year to do
it. No one had the money.
Zippo Manufacturing sends products out of the country. They leave from a Free Trade
Zone so they can pass through ports without paying extra tariffs. It seemed like a no
brainer to me if those exports could leave from here. That would open us up to other goods
being shipped into Bradford and then on to their destinations around the area. Revenues
all around.
But that was too progressive. That was too radical of an idea and it was going to cost
money.
Zippo is part of the Alliance. Why don't they foot the bill for the Free Trade Zone and
then make it pay for itself with their business? If the Alliance is genuinely interested,
I would think they could have come up with that idea without paying a consultant.
But like I said, everyone knows the problems at the Airport. And the main one is that
it costs too much to fly out of it.
Last January I saved $400 by driving to Pittsburgh and flying to Las Vegas rather than
flying to Las Vegas from Bradford and returning to Bradford on none other than US Airways,
the service provider to Bradford. I tried explaining I was a member of the Authority and
we were supposed to have fares that more or less eliminated the charge if we stayed within
the US Airways system. Big hairy deal!
And as a board member I heard that time and time again from people who were trying to
use the airport. The more the authority is promised that things will change, the less
likely it is that they ever will.
I am sorry I wasn't here to take your call Sandra. You should have tried the Rainbow
Inn. I was there meeting with some people on my newest endeavor. If you want that story,
call me. It will make far better copy than me resigning from a lost cause.
As much as the Airport can bring good to the area, it is not doing that. On the
contrary, it is a drain on the meager resources we do have. And in being a drain like it
is, it brings only bad things. That is unfortunate and I wonder how much longer we as
taxpayers can afford to continue footing the bill?
Your comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
JULY 12, 2K
A living wage
Good morning. It is 50.0 degrees at 6:17 A.M. And it appears Tom's little
article hit a sensitive note. That of course being a living wage. It also appears that
many of you want to know more about the guitar maker who also is a bit of a writer and an
avid reader of this column.
Tom started it all with his mention of Zippo/Case. He has since added to what he said.
"I inadvertently left out a key word in yesterday's article. The paragraph should
have read: "While we are on the subject of Zippo, one of their former subsidiaries,
Holgate Toys in Kane, quietly closed their doors and filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It
sounds like Zippo treated them like a red-headed stepchild (no offense, Bud). I
always wondered why Holgate was never included in any of Zippo's promotions."
Lest we forget, Tom, and you should know as well as anyone having family members in
elevator shafts and the like, that the President of Holgate, Dick Bly, was not one of the
supporters of the removal of Charlie Dach as Director of Tourism. In a rare occurrence the
two of us were actually on the same side. And, more important, we were against the
Alliance and that meant Mike Shuler, President of Zippo. It is important to note that
Linda Devlin, wife of a Zippo executive, was the choice of the Alliance and eventually
designated by a very odd voting system the new executive director. Don't you believe for
one minute that paybacks all around were not in order. Now that doesn't mean that anything
directly happened to send Holgate into bankruptcy, not by any means. However, teamed as
they were supposed to be for marketing, I find it hard to believe they failed. But, when a
company fails, the blame ultimately rests with the leadership of that company and no place
else in most cases.
The unfortunate part of the whole equation is that ten or so people lost their jobs.
Jobs around here are what it should be all about. Unfortunately, while the rest of the
nation is in a job boom, we are just McKean County with the Bradford mentality, stumbling
on into the darkness without direction.
What jobs do we have?
Zippo/Case is the largest employer. Bradford Regional Medical Center is next. Then, you
would have to look to the Mental Health/Mental Retardation field as the next largest.
Between Beacon Light, The Guidance Center, Evergreen Elm, CEM, and one or two others, that
field would rival Zippo as the largest type or field of employment in the area.
Tom refers to many of the people he sees wandering the streets as mutants, but McKean
County and Bradford wound up with them as the result of a plan known as CHIPS. I don't
remember exactly what it means, but what it really means is that people are released from
Warren State Hospital and integrated into the community under supervision. State dollars
rent them apartments, buy them televisions and furniture, even a toaster. The local case
worker gives them their medication and daily counseling. And many of the people you see
wandering Main Street are those people. In fact, we are known as a dumping ground of
sorts. People have no idea of the nature of and the severity of the illnesses that
have been planted here amongst us. Are we in any danger? Who is to say?
After that, there is McKean County as one of the five largest employers. That's why
taxes had to be raised. And then there is the Bradford Area School District and more tax
increases year after year.
That begins the circle. Wages to taxes and back to wages. The School District pays
above average wages for the area. That adds to the burden on the taxpayer to support that.
Hospital employees, nurses in particular, are below what and where they would be somewhere
else and on an average with the general area. They feel each tax increase and it takes
more away from their purchasing power, or even the ability to survive. That goes on to the
rest of us.
While County workers receive 4% and 3% increases annually, the majority of the workers
receive nothing to 1.8%. But County workers are unionized, and the non-union workers with
higher paying jobs, like the Commissioners, justify themselves by pointing to the union
agreements when they take the same percentage which converts into many, many more dollars.
And the circle continues. More taxes and the circle actually becomes a noose around the
necks and pocketbooks of the rest of us, even the factory workers at Zippo.
Don't kid yourself. It is not cheaper living where we live. Housing may be lower, but
our taxes more than make up for it. And go to the grocery store! Tell me food is cheaper
here. It isn't.
But the myth continues because the people are not told differently. Between the radio
and The Error we are tucked in and sound asleep. And the ultimate insult comes when
a decision like the Guitar Decision is made and a local craftsman is overlooked and
downright ignored.
Many of you e-mailed me and asked if he was on line. He is! Mary, your e-mail came back
when I replied. Why? Anyway, here is where you can find him and pay special attention to
the XXX rated part of his site with the "Nude Guitar."
John signs his e-mail with the following and it will be a link to his site.
I believe you will be as impressed as I was. Visit it today. In the meantime,
stay asleep and nothing will change and that will make all of you very, very happy.
Comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
JULY 11, 2K
The trouble he causes
Good morning. It is 54 degrees at 6:19 A.M. The Erie weather on morning
television is reporting 61 degrees for Bradford. They must have the temperature at 8 P.M.
last night. I am five miles from the airport where the temperature comes from and we are
at about the same elevation. Can the temp vary that much?
As for Tom Clark, he stirred up something yesterday. I got this in the mail
this morning: your script writing stinks--not at all legible. What
the devil is that supposed to mean?
The only script I have worked on is Biker Bithches from Mars Invade
Marshburg (copyright) and unless this Esther Hanson person has hacked into one of my
computers, no one else has seen it. I can only assume she is talking about Tom and his
column. And on that subject, our faithful reader Johnnie has this to say:
Subject: Right on!
Tom, watch what you say about the "Great Zippo".............it's GOD around
here! I'm a local struggling craftsman trying to eak out a living PROUDLY building guitars
from all local hardwoods, here in Bradford. I was PISSED to find out that Zippo hired
Gibson Guitars to build a Zippo model guitar ............THANKS ZIPPO!!!!!!!! Huh, now
that I think about it..........shouldn't Zippo/Case be a UNION shop?????
Pay their workers like about $25.00 per hour......with full benefits???
I'm skippin' on ya here, Tom............ Where was the imagination of that guy Blazedale (
founder of Zippo) .......he had the word BLAZE....in his name ........BLAZE as in
fire.......he invented ( stole the design actually) a device
that "BURST INTO FLAME".............so then he goes and names it after a
completely unrelated item......a zipper.......cause it sounded cool....(at the time).
Let's thank GOD that the DILDO wasn't invented about the same time .............or
Zippo......would be called : DILDER!
John
Good point, John.
John is a local craftsman and he does build guitars of fine quality. And what he says
about going outside the area to purchase services and goods, especially when it come to a
specialty item like a Zippo model guitar, is one hundred percent true. The fact of the
matter is the big guys at Zippo don't practice what they preach.
Mike Shuler, high muckety muck at Zippo and on the Hospital Board, not to mention being
one of the keystones in the Bradford Area Alliance, seems to go out of his way not to buy
locally. Ask local merchants when any of the executives from any of the Alliance companies
bought a suit or a piece of jewelry from them. They go off to exotic places like Erie,
Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland to shop.
The big question about Holgate is will Zippo absorb the name and take over the
manufacture of the toys like they did with Case? There used to be some alliance and
combined marketing at one time. What ever happened to that?
And ironically, John talks about the wages paid in the area. After reading his e-mail,
Sue who just moved to Georgia wrote to me. She points out that she is making more working
as a switchboard operator down there than she made up here working in a local factory. I
want to point out that this factory is one of the "job creations" done by our
OECD. In the deal to create these jobs the local factory got all kinds of concessions,
money, and ten years of 0% taxes. Hello Sue and thanks for reminding all of us where we
live and what we put up with.
I agree that these jobs should be union. I agree that they should pay $25 an hour. But
if they pay them that much then the annual bonuses that are paid to the Duke Boys and Big
Mike would have to be cut a hundred thousand or so. And never ever forget that Bradford
was built on the backs of the dumb working man who does and votes as he is told. Just so
the robber barons give them enough to feed the kids, have a few beers at the corner bar,
and keep the old lady's mouth shut most of the time, what do they care?
But evidently, the ladies are not keeping their mouths shut. Word is the nurses at the
hospital want a union and they want one bad. Good for you girls. You have an up hill
battle. These people are pros at dividing your ranks. They will tell you that the union
will be bad and half of your ranks will believe them. And half of the rest will be scared.
In the end you will be lucky to have 25% with you. And don't expect any help from you
local man who is supposed to promote unions - Jim Weaver. He has his and that's all he
cares about as long as Wal-Mart doesn't build in his front yard.. Kinda the
Bradford way. Always was and always will be.
And we will go out of our way to honor someone who doesn't care about us one hoot.
Definitely the Bradford way!
Relax John. The Zippo Guitar will be as big a bust as the Zippo Beer. Heck. We could do
MLR Beer and probably do a better job. At least the label would be pretty. I'm going to
have to edit Tom a bit closer in the future. You are right. Zippo is a big no no. Oh well.
Comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
JULY 10, 2K
It's That Time Of The Month BY TOM CLARK
Let me start by addressing a small but pesky segment of the Bradford population. By
spreading rumors and twisting the truth, you are not elevating your own miserable
existences by making others look bad. Get a hobby, get laid, whatever...but don't talk
about me.
For the rest of us who have been victims of this crap, I have a perfect solution. The
next time someone starts a conversation with, "Did you here about what's his
name?", reach out and punch the jerk in the mouth. You will be doing yourself and the
rest of us a favor. Perhaps these rumor mongers will think twice before fabricating any
stories, knowing that a shot to the chops is in order.
With that out of the way, let's get to this week's column, which is more of a potpourri
of current events and observations by yours truly. I'm still receiving mail on the Marilyn
Horne street dedication, and none of it is favorable. One reader, who goes by BradMutant,
agreed that Sorrell Booke would be a far better choice for a street dedication than some
obscure opera broad. Another recommendation he made, and I agree, is David Poyer, a
successful writer and native son. Poyer, like Booke was, is a frequent visitor to Bradford
and is proud of his roots.
BradMutant asked about the origin of Parker Place, which is the name of the street
around the square that is to become Marilyn Horne Expressway. The Parkers were the first
family to settle in Bradford and I think it is a crime to yank their name off the street
and replace it with some lady that doesn't give a rat's ass about this town. There are
whispers abounding that the dedication ceremony will get mighty interesting. Five bucks
says the old hag doesn't show.
The Kinzua Bridge is the crowning jewel of McKean County and our greatest asset for
promoting tourism. However, the road leading to the State Park is the worst road in the
county. What type of impression are we trying to make on visitors?
The wading pool at Jack Burns Park on North Kendall/Witco/ARG Avenue
is now open. It must be that Ray McMahon let the Parks Department/OECD
workers break away from Onofrio Street to get it going.
Did you catch the letter in the Error this week from some non-thinking putz who
offered other locations in Foster Township for the Wal-Mart dream? This clown suggested
the Derrick City School property, Gleason Field or Seaward Avenue. What were you smoking
when you wrote the letter? There are no good locations in Foster Township for a Wal-Mart
unless you level the Bradford Mall, which would make more sense than any of this person's
bonehead ideas or, for that matter, where everyone thinks it will be built.
From the Dumb Blonde files - Friday's USA Today reported that a 27 year old woman in
Michigan, talking to her boyfriend on a cellular phone while driving, was killed in a two
car crash on her way to his home when she apparently ran a stop sign. The boyfriend told
investigators that her last words were, "Oh, my God, I'm going to be
hit!".
If I meet my untimely demise in a car wreck, please don't litter the side of the road
with a tacky memorial. I do not want to be remembered at the place where the worst moment
of my life occurred. Place flowers for me at the HSBC Arena (home of the Buffalo Sabres),
Rock'n Rick's, Gleason Field (my favorite softball field) or Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy
Space Center.
My mailbox was filled with e-mails concerning last week's BRMC/Mercy Flight story. It
seems that there is more to it and a few people offered to dig deeper for me on the
condition that I grant them anonymity. Hey, no problem, you just deliver the dirt and I
will do the burying.
Dennis Miller will ruin his career by taking the job as a commentator on Monday Night
Football. At least ABC didn't pick Rush Limbaugh, who is the subject of one of my favorite
jokes. What is the difference between Limbaugh and the Hindenburg? One is a flaming Nazi
gas bag and the other is a dirigible.
Do me a favor, pay attention to the traffic flow at the corner of Davis and Boylston
Streets. He goes, I go, you go. It's not that difficult. If it's your turn, and I wave you
on, just go. I know you appreciate the fact that I pointed out that it's your turn to go,
don't waste any more of my time by waving.
And, while I'm on the subject of traffic, if you are entering the US 219 bypass at
Forman Street and getting off at North Kendall/Witco/ARG Avenue, or, if you are entering
at Seaward Avenue and getting off at Forman Street, please contribute to the natural flow
of traffic and accelerate. Use the long vertical foot pedal on the right. You should be
doing 55 MPH, or better, when you merge. I am very surprised that there have not been any
major accidents at the two entrance ramps. If you can't keep the pace, stay the Hell off
the expressway.
I see the city is sprucing up for its Summerfest and the Zippo/Case Swap Meet on July
21 & 22. I still say, if they really want the city to look great for the visitors, we
should put all of the mutants on buses and send them to Smethport for the day.
Does Bradford participate in some sort of Mutant Exchange Program with other towns?
I've noticed a few of our regular Main Street hoofers roaming the streets of Mt. Jewett.
And, yesterday, I saw one of their less desirables wandering around Bradford.
My parents, who are beer can collectors, took a case of the ZipLight/Case collectors
beer bottles to a Canadian Brewiana trade session in Toronto this weekend. They couldn't
give the bottles away and came back with the whole case in tact. Most of the comments by
the expert collectors were on how plain and downright ugly the labels are. If you are
planning on stocking up on the Swap Meet beer, thinking they may increase in value, you
are better off to find something else to
invest in.
While we are on the subject of Zippo, one of their subsidiaries, Holgate Toys in Kane,
quietly closed their doors and filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It sounds
like Zippo is treating them like a red-headed stepchild (no offense, Bud). I always
wondered why Holgate is never included in any of Zippo's promotions.
I came up with a new slogan for the city - "Bradford, Gateway To Lewis Run".
What happened to that stupid oil spill mascot? Did the EPA come in and clean him up?
I can't, for the life of me, figure out why District Justice Chris Hauser won't
acknowledge me any more. Gee, did I hurt his little feelings when I spoke the truth about
him and his tainted election?
That should do it for this week. I have some interesting columns coming up, including
the much awaited interview with Helen Cramer. You may send your comments, sick jokes or
pipe bomb recipes to me at tcclark@2-cool.com.
'Til next week...
Comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
JULY 8 & 9, 2K
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