Sidewalk cleanup tip

Emilee Langford (April 13) thinks Spokane’s streets and sidewalks are dirty. Well, she’s right; they are. But for the life of me, I can’t figure out why she calls upon Mayor David Condon to take a hike. No, not in that sense. I mean a literal hike. She seems to think Condon taking a citywide tour will resolve the situation. This simply won’t work. He’s too busy spending taxpayer dollars on bikini baristas and body-cams.

So instead, I suggest an addendum to Langford’s proposal that should make everybody happy. It’s cheap. It’s environmentally friendly. It’s all natural and gluten-free. It’s quiet and runs on alternative energy sources. It’s easy to use and requires virtually no training. It could even be considered a form of transportation for certain holders of public office. Behold: the humble broom. Guaranteed to solve your dirty sidewalk problems or your money back. Available at hardware stores everywhere.

Rather than ask the mayor to clean your sidewalk, do it yourself. Got elderly neighbors? Sweep their sidewalk, too. And while we’re in this spirit of community service, the next time Condon takes a hike, maybe he can take a broom with him.

Chris Reichert

Athol, Idaho