E For Effort: Semi-Notable Tribulations of a Volunteer Reporter

The following accounting of events is being posted anonymously to protect the innocent. (from embarrassment). Please note, dear readers, that “Middletown's Eye”, with the possessive apostrophe-letter-s, is a new author name shared by many Eye authors, and is not Ed McKeon. A posting is only from Ed McKeon if his name is in parentheses after Middletown Eye.

Thursday night there was a Community Meeting of the Common Council scheduled to occur at 7 p.m. at the gymnasium at Macdonough School. When I arrived around 6:45pm there was a sign on the front door saying the meeting would be in the Library. So, naturally, off I trudged to the library... the Russell Library on Broad Street. I walked there, as I had been on foot that evening doing errands at various places downtown that were within close proximity to each other. During the 15 minute walk from Macdonough School to the Russell Library, I wondered why the meeting location had been changed and thought I would definitely have to ask that question of the Council members. I arrived at the library at 7, the time the meeting was to start. Nobody at the library had any idea about this meeting, and it wasn't on their room reservation schedule for the evening. When I told the librarian about the sign she politely suggested that the sign may have meant the school library. She did a good job of saying this in as a nice a way as possible so I wouldn't feel like a complete idiot for not realizing this in the first place. In my mind, I slapped myself on the forehead and said a Homer Simpson style “DOH!” I thanked the librarian and walked back outside into the humid mist, thinking about how lack of sleep can seriously reduce one's brain power. My energy was pretty low from all the walking I'd already done that evening and I didn't think I could manage to hoof it back to the school, but I refused to give up on my mission to cover this meeting for the Eye readers! Thankfully, a friend who lives near Russell library answered my phone call, came by and picked me up and drove me back to the school. There were police cars with lights flashing outside. Great, I thought, someone raises a huge ruckus in the first 10 minutes of the meeting, the police get called in, and I missed it. A lot of people were standing around all up and down the street, watching the scene, which turned out to be a car crash. It must have been loud to have drawn such a crowd, but it didn't look too serious that I could see. I asked some kids who were standing on the corner about how to get to the school library and they kindly directed me where to go. It was 7:20 once I got inside, and was promptly informed that the meeting had already ended by the remaining Council members who were sitting around talking amongst themselves. Considering the meeting was over that quickly, I am comforted by the thought that there was probably not much to write about it. I tried my best. It's just another day in the glamorous life of a volunteer reporter.

Community Meetings of the Common Council are an opportunity for members of the public to approach the Council in an informal environment and present or talk about issues of concern. These meetings have been held on the second Thursday of every month throughout 2011. The next two meetings are November 10th at Woodrow Wilson Middle School on Hunting Hill Avenue and December 8th at Moody Elementary School on Country Club Road. If any readers out there want to join in the excitement of volunteer reporting, all you have to do is open your eyes, attend this or any municipal meeting or event, and submit a written report about it. If you're thinking about it and want to know more, send an email to middletowneye@gmail.com