We almost didn’t recognize Montclair Mayor Ed Remsen at the farmers market Saturday, wearing his weekend grungies. But then we woke up this morning to his post on the Cooler, saying that he actually rode a shift on the Montclair garbage trucks last year, when the town council was deciding whether to make backyard pickup an optional paid service.
I spent half a day working on one of the crews to see what the service was like and discovered that it was a labor-intensive, expensive, and often difficult to efficiently deliver (You should see what it’s like trying to get the cans from sideyards with big cars and SUVS and on some blocks there were only a handful of people who had not pulled their garbage cans out).
There’s been lots of discussion on the Cooler lately about backyard pickup, now an optional premium service, costing $300 a year. Annual savings to the town, says Remsen: $250,000.
Can you imagine if Russo has done the same thing? There would have been 5 press releases and 2 glowing MC Times articles relating the event. It would have garnered lengthy paragraphs in Russo’s 4 ‘farewell addresses’ in the paper and again cited (by him, of course) as further example of his ‘commitment to the Town’ in his first letter to the editor as a private citizen!
Perhaps it should be pointed out that some blocks don’t have their cans put out because the garbage trucks come at completely random times, at least in my section of Bloomfield. You can’t put your trash out until after 6pm the night before, but when you come home from work the next day at 6pm, there’s a good chance it’ll still be there.
Oh, and “big pickup” or whatever it’s called is also subjective – which it should be – except when it’s – well, we don’t feel like backing the truck all the way down this dead end to see if those people have stuff outside. Probably why “backyard” pickup was thought of – people never want to take their stuff out front because it’s rare that it leaves.
aaah, but we can all dream that Russo might have fallen into the crusher
The Barista does not wish the former mayor harm. We’re sure Kevin doesn’t either and that his comment was for humor purposes only.
We remind you: play nice, kids.
I try to picture our local mayor doing that and I laugh and laugh and laugh. This is a man who shows up at the annual town employee picnic in a suit and tie.
yo, yo, yo,
Bob is a cartoon character. A crusher couldn’t hurt him, he’d come sliding out from under the rig praising the workers, the neighborhood, the maker of the truck and an obscure girl scout troop.
Mid phrase, he would start popping back into 3 dimensions, then he would lick his lips and say “mmmm, tapioca!”
/end joke