Rob The Slob, At His Best Again!

Two weeks ago, on July 31st, the day after all that rain, DPW dug a hole near the middle of the 200 block of Columbia to repair a water main break (oddly, it was not a sewer main break).  There was a lot of water and mud on the street, more than I expected to see (though not as bad as what came out of the ground on South 4th Street at Cherry Alley a few years ago when valves failed to stop the flow of water following a break).  It came to my attention that DPW had trouble with the valves that control the flow of drinking water under Columbia Street.  (Hmmm.... this seems to be an ongoing issue.)  In other words, it took DPW longer than usual to shut off the water that was pouring out of a broken water main.  Water and dirt equals mud.  And mud there was.  And GRIT, Rob Perry's nemesis!

The last thing you want to allow into a sewer system is mud, dirt, debris, and stones, all the unwelcome things that accumulate on our streets that Rob Perry categorizes as GRIT.  Grit is not our sewer's friend.  It is unwelcome in pipes below our streets, regardless of how old or new they are. (You wouldn't allow sand, gravel, dirt and other grit debris to go down your kitchen sink drain or into your toilet if you could help it, would you?  I sure hope not.)  All that GRIT is damaging to our sewer system, and, if and when most of it arrives at the sewer plant on Dock Street, it is expensive to cart away along with all the other junk Rob Perry tells us he does his best to keep out of the river.   This is the reason DPW regularly operates (too often, perhaps) a street sweeper and HPD tickets parked vehicles overnight (too often, most definitely).  In fact, at recent meeting of the so-called CODE & INFRASTRUCTURE Committee (that does not include CODE anything or anyone!), Rob Perry claimed (quite dubiously) that the State of New York DEC and the federal EPA "require" him to "remove as much grit as possible from our streets."

Bicyclists LOVE to see and ride over loose 
stuff like this.  As fast as possible while turning!
A cyclist's DREAM!

Given all this, why is the western end of the 200 block of Columbia (in the most disadvantaged neighborhood in the entire city) still so full of the GRIT that DPW created two weeks ago trying to repair a broken pipe?  There's a lot to ask of Rob Perry regarding why he is comfortable with leaving such a GRITTY mess in the street and on the sidewalk at Columbia & 2nd, much of it just steps away from a sewer basin, waiting to be washed into it in the next rain.  (It's been two f'ng weeks, Mr. Slobbo!)  Do you think this would have been acceptable in the 500 block of Warren?  How about in the 600 block?  How about directly in front of or behind City Hall?  How much disrespect, stupidity, carelessness and dangerous ugliness can one DPW Superintendent get away with over and over and over again?

Contrary to his repeated claims, it appears that Rob
 Perry WANTS all this GRIT to make its way into OUR
 sewer system. THE GRIT HE SO DESPISES!

But what about behind the scenes at the mayor's office and the common council?  Has the mayor been made aware of Rob Perry's ignored two-week mess on lower Columbia Street that is in the heart of the second ward?  If not, why not?  How about the completely and mostly useless second ward council members, respectively, Dewan Sarowar and Mohammed Rony?  What the hell have they been paying attention to for the past two weeks? Their toenails? Have either one of them been out for a walk in their neighborhood in the past 14 days?  Or are they both as blind as 5th ward member Dominic Merante?  

July 31st, two weeks ago.  It wasn't 
just water; it was muddy water.

Dewan claims to live in the 100 block of Columbia, and Mohammed actually does live very close to -- if not directly in front of -- where the water main break occurred in the 200 block.  If either of them has even noticed the mess that Rob Perry left behind two weeks ago (how could Dewan see it if he actually lives in Greenport with his wife in the house they have co-owned for ten years?), do you suppose one of them has reached out to anyone at DPW to ask, "What the hell is going on with all the sand, dirt, gravel, and mud that still hasn't been removed from Columbia near 2nd that was left behind after DPW's repair work on July 31st?  Why has this grit still not been removed?  How is this acceptable and when will it be removed properly before the next rainstorm sends it into our sewer system?  Where is Rob Perry, and why doesn't he work form City Hall?  I demand answers and a clean-up crew at 2nd & Columbia today!  Would Mr. Perry allow this in front of his house in the third ward?  Would the mayor allow this in front of his house or in front of his City Hall?  Why am I even forced to ask these questions and make demands for something that should have been taken care of weeks ago?"

At the risk of repeating myself, what you start to understand about Rob Perry if you pay attention to his words and actions long enough is that he is an egotistical slob who is full of BS and lies.  And his nonsense seems to be worsening lately just as much as his belly is expanding.