When I was a city councilman in New Haven,(about 12,000 population) I answered my phone at home one day and it was one of my constituents. He complained to me that the vacant property next door had an eight foot high, 10 foot long section of fence that was fallen down and he was concerned that the nails sticking up would puncture the foot of some kid that was playing nearby. Now this guy was a big guy about 40 years old and had 100% disability for an alleged work related injury to his back. Now this being a small neighborhood I saw that he didn't seem to have any back problems when no one was looking, 'nuff said.
Any way, when i got there, he was wringing his hands and kept repeating what should we do? Call the Board of Health? The police? the county abandoned property division, what?
Sure enough, he was right about the nails, they were at least 10 penny and sticking up vertical just waiting for some kid to come along.
I looked at it for awhile and then reached down, grabbed the top of the fence, lifted it vertical and then let it fall over again with the nails pointed down.
"Hows that?" I asked. He was dumbfounded.
Sorta like the able bodied citizen who calls a busy Utility Department after a rain storm about a flooded street when he can simply go out with a rake and unclog the storm drain that's causing the problem.
No moral to this story, just telling one of many stories that I have about being a city councilman in a small town.
