I took the photos on this page this morning, March 19th, on Courthouse Square. My first political promise is this: if elected, I promise that all city-owned Christmas decorations will be taken down by the official end of the holiday season — which everyone knows is Super Bowl Sunday. They will be down if I have to take them down myself while standing on a ladder mounted on the bed of my buddy Lyle’s F-150.

It’s easy to have a laugh at this, but just imagine that you are an executive for a company who is visiting a few cities, scouting locations for a new facility of some sort. It’s common practice for companies to do this on the sly so that the red carpet isn’t rolled out for them and they get a true look at each community. Imagine you are that person; what would your impression be of the people running the city of Warren? The situation wouldn’t be quite as amusing as a sign of our operating efficiencies or our pride in the image of our community.

Maybe it’s time for a change in City Hall as well as in seasonal decorations.