Would you believe your city scolds you?
This is exactly what happened in Millbury, MA, where Thomas Perry fixed two potholes at his own expense. Town officials are not going to take action against the man, but they are asking residents to let them know about the potholes and they will fix them.
I do see a legitimate concern about DIY pothole repair, and that is safety. We don’t know if the good Samaritan took proper steps to divert traffic and avoid being run over. What is interesting, though, is that nobody from Millbury has expressed this concern.
What are they concerned about? His motives.
It seems that Mr. Perry works for a company that sells pothole patching material different from the asphalt used by the Millbury Department of Public Works. This product is said to last longer than asphalt repairs. The town manager believes that he was trying to promote the product. (Let’s all note that the repair didn’t get much publicity until the town made a point of publicly telling him to knock it off.)
Call me a cynic (no, really, I consider it flattery!), but I suspect the town is unhappy that Mr. Perry doesn’t grasp how the system works. I know nothing about Millbury, and I don’t mean to accuse anyone of anything, but we all know how it works in communities all over the world:
- City needs repairs done.
- City requests bids to do the repairs.
- Private companies submit bids. These may be accompanied by what might be called “incentives” to choose that company’s bid.
- Town awards contract to the company presenting what city officials consider the, um, “most attractive” bid.
- Company begins work, says job will cost more than anticipated. Cost overruns result in job costing 3-5 times more than original bid price.
- Private enterprise benefits, city officials are happy...everybody wins! (except the taxpayers)
- Eventually, the repair breaks down and the cycle starts again. (Remember, the material used to fix these potholes is supposedly more durable than asphalt.)
Fortunately, Mr. Perry is not going to be charged or otherwise penalized, but it’s not clear what will happen if he continues making the streets of Millbury safer.