Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Dear Common Council "President" Margaret Morris!


I'm sorry to bother you, Margaret, but I have just a few important questions that I feel require answers from you, an elected city official who owns a Hudson property that abuts two sidewalks.  The issues I bring your way, as I can only assume you will agree, are central to Hudson's public infrastructure, well-being (fiscal and otherwise), and future prosperity and success.  For reasons that I cannot understand, you appear to be ignoring these critical issues.  Thus, the questions for you.

For how many more months will the wooden pallet be leaning against your fence for all the world to walk past and see?  Would you be okay if every property owner in town were so sloppy and inconsiderate?  Isn't the message you're sending out to the world that you don't care what Hudson looks like or how messy it is?  Who are you hoping removes that pallet from your property, Margaret?  Or do you not care if it ever gets removed from public view?  What is the pallet there for?  Who is it there for?  The eyes of passers-by, to enhance the beauty of downtown Hudson?

(I took the picture of your pallet on September 14th, at least 2 weeks after I first noticed it in the same spot.)

ALSO

Monday, October 5, 2026

Who Invited Tesla To Offer Free (Supervised) Rides In Their Driverless Car, The Latest Oktoberfest Tradition?

Were you among the brave and fortunate few to take a ride in a "supervised" driverless Tesla during the Upper Depot Brewery's Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday? No, me neither!

WORKING SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES, You Say? What About WORKING FIRE HYDRANTS? Do They SAVE LIVES Too?

It seems to me that in the most practical of terms there's no difference between the purpose of a smoke alarm and a fire hydrant: they're both intended to prevent fires and save lives and structures when a fire does occur.  They go about their jobs differently, but they both have the same goal in mind; they are both part of the arsenal of fire safety, along with fire extinguishers.  The only difference is that one is inside a structure while the other is outside.  And any sensible person or fireman can agree that both alarms and hydrants need to be WORKING in order to prevent fires and save lives and structures.  Furthermore, when they are found to be not working, alarms, extinguishers, and hydrants should be fixed as quickly as possible, like without hesitation.  And if they can't be fixed, they should be replaced with working ones right away!  You never say, as Rob Perry and any number of Hudson Fire Department officials have said at public meetings justifying the existence of out of service hydrants, "There are others should we need them."  This is an idiotic approach to fire and death prevention.  If that thinking applies to fire hydrants, it should apply to smoke alarms, shouldn't it?

Sunday, October 4, 2026

Who Paid For Nick Fox's "BUILDING DEPARTMENT" Business Cards and How Much Did They Cost?


Last I checked, there is no such thing as a BUILDING DEPARTMENT associated with Hudson City Hall, not inside 520 Warren nor at any other location, including on 7th Street.  The only departments located at 77 North 7th Street are the Hudson Fire Department and the Hudson Code Enforcement Department.  (The business card is taped to the door leading to the Code office.)

Saturday, October 3, 2026

It's Only The 4th or 5th Time In 8 Months. What's The Big Deal?

This morning, for the 4th or 5th time this year, I noticed that the back-to-back plastic scannable parking signs atop the meter pole on the odd side of the 700 block of Columbia just beyond Park Place were no longer where they had been for about the past 25 days.  HUDseen last noticed the signs missing from that pole on September 5th (they were on the ground).   Two more appeared within a day or three. Today's missing signs were not missing yesterday when I walked past them, so someone likely took a disliking to them last night.  There is a saloon a few feet away.  I don't care for that drinking hole, though a while back I heard that mayor Ferris was a regular.  Maybe he still is.

Is This What's Known As Curb Appeal? Or Clutter? Or Just More Expensive Crap We Never Needed In the First Place?

Imagine seeing this every day and night outside your front door more often than you'd prefer.   Who wouldn't want to kick it and spit on it (or pee on it -- hell, dogs can!) at least once every day?  And that lovely white spray-painted circle!  Was that really necessary, and for how many years will it remain beautifying the neighborhood? 

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Is Our Fair City Headed In The Proper Direction?

In July of 2020, over 6 years ago, two truck route signs each were installed above the intersections of 3rd & Columbia and State/Columbia & Green.  The former were meant to prevent trucks and tractor trailers headed north on 3rd approaching the turn on Columbia from continuing north past Columbia toward and onto State Street. The latter were meant to prevent trucks and tractor trailers headed south on Green Street from turning off of the truck route onto State (to then head all the way to 3rd to turn south there).  At council meetings and via emails for months before those four signs appeared, I made a big stink about the issue of errant trucks and tractor trailers on State Street, reminding the city what they were ignoring and not doing properly or at all.  

Dear Common Council "President" Margaret Morris!

I'm sorry to bother you, Margaret, but I have just a few important questions that I feel require answers from you, an elected city offic...