There are perks to being a member of the Hesperia City Council -- the ability to help shape the future of the city, “rubber chicken” luncheons and a chance to rub shoulders with everyone from hometown heroes to powerful politicians.
Getting the road paved in front of their house, however, is not on the list.
Five of the last seven city council members have not had the street in front of their house paved in years and are not on the city’s five-year schedule to be paved.
“I don’t know any council members that got their road paved because they were on the council,” said Councilman Ed Pack, “And I’m going back 19 years” to the founding of the city.
“No priority for Ed Pack. And I’ve never asked for one.”
He’s not alone in having to be patient for smooth roads free of irregularities and potholes.
Mayor Rita Vogler, who lives in an older section of town near a busy arterial, has not had her street paved in recent years and her block is not on the five-year schedule.
Mayor Pro Tem Mike Leonard’s block, in one of the oldest sections of the city, is likewise not on the schedule for paving.
Councilman Tad Honeycutt lives in a newer development, and as a result, his block is not on the paving schedule for the next five years.
Councilman Thurston “Smitty” Smith lives near a major city arterial and got his street paved last year.
Former mayors Jim Lindley and Dennis Nowicki saw their blocks paved only recently: Lindley’s block was paved in fiscal year 2005-2006 and Nowicki’s in 2006-2007.
Paul Bosacki isn’t a member of the city council -- although he ran for the office in 2006 -- but the planning commissioner may be the city’s most outspoken critic of Hesperia’s notoriously rough roads. In 2005, he set up PaveRoadsFirst.com, an information clearinghouse regarding the state of Hesperia’s roads.
A post office employee, Bosacki sees much of Hesperia’s roads in any given week, but this year, he may finally see his road paved.
“I try to be pragmatic about it. It’s like winning the lottery, kind of. I’m happy that I did it, but there’s still hundreds of miles that need to be replaced. And there’s lots of dirt roads,” Bosacki said. “Unless you live on one of those streets, you don’t realize how much better it makes your life every day.”
Bosacki’s block will likely be paved at about the same time as Pack’s block. Both blocks are likely to be paved in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, according to Pack.
“I don’t think [my block has] ever been paved,” he said. “I think my paving was done when they paved Hesperia, back with M. Penn Phillips” in the 1950s.
Once residents do get their roads paved, however, it’s not uncommon for them to complain about a new problem: speeding right past their front door.
“My road’s only two blocks long; they can’t speed much,” Pack laughed.
Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com.
You are at www.paveroadsfirst.com Hesperia California. Our goal is to make local and County government responsible to the people and public needs before private special interests.
Hesperia City Government and the County of San Bernardino need to focus and work to improve the quality of life for the residents of Hesperia , the High Desert and the County of San Bernardino . To meet the needs of the people of Hesperia and the High Desert is their only job while in public office. Are they doing their job? Can they do better? Can we do better? Contact us at paveroadsfirst@verizon.net
