@89th said in The town that Fetterman saved:
@Mik said in The town that Fetterman saved:
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
This is random, but it sounds a lot like Bayfield, WI. Just was visiting there last weekend for an apple festival. It's right on the water, but it's basically a charming older town with beautiful homes and a few main streets with (what seems) to be various flavors of antiques or art shops, and places to eat. I heard from someone who lives there it was dealt a major blow during the pandemic because it's older, liberal residents and the mayor really hammered down with COVID policies. He told me "they nearly killed off the town completely".
If they saved a single human life, it was worth it.
