Laurels & lances: Potholes & potshots

Laurel: To demanding action. The bare minimum that should be expected of a shopping area is accessibility. Long before there were food courts and anchor stores, marketplaces realized that, to serve their purpose, they had to be easily traversed.

In the modern era, that means they should have good roads and a well-maintained parking lot. And that is why Frazer officials are laying down the law with the owner of Pittsburgh Mills mall. The message is clear: Fix the hazardous potholes now.

This isn’t an issue of a couple of cracks. These are cracks that became holes that became craters because of neglect. The crumbled and pitted surfaces are damaging cars. That affects the businesses which don’t just pay rent but also pay taxes. It affects the people who depend on the stores there and can’t safely access them.

State Rep. Mandy Steele’s Chief of Staff Jess Baker has gone as far as calling the situation a public health crisis, describing an elderly constituent unable to go to Aldi and Walmart for groceries and other necessities.

The township can’t just pave the road for the absentee owner Namdar Realty Group. It’s a cost of millions at this point, and it’s private property. Municipalities have enough to do deciding how to spread the funds to cover the roads they are responsible to maintain.

Supervisor Lori Ziencik says the township is willing to take the issue to court. That’s exactly what should happen.

Lance: To crass language. There is a certain amount of ugliness we have come to expect from politics. It’s sad but true that no politician can see a microphone without taking an opportunity to lob stones at the other side — especially in an election year.

But is U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, taking it too far?

A news release takes aim at Republican vice presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. Is it funny? That’s no doubt the intent, from a handful of profanities and the “for unfortunate planning purposes” banner, to a long list of jabs at Vance while the would-be veep was in Erie.

It was very much the tone of Fetterman’s 2022 campaign against Dr. Mehmet Oz. Fetterman was off the campaign trail while recovering from a stroke and instead waged war on social media through pointed, harsh and sometimes funny barbs.

Fetterman has been a passionate Democrat for years, so throwing stones at Vance is completely in character. He’s used profanities even when doing battle with his own party, like earlier this summer in defense of President Joe Biden before he bowed out of the election in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.

But something about this feels meanspirited. It’s the kind of attack you might expect from an unverified Twitter account or a troll farm on the other side of the world.

It’s possible to represent your party and your people with both personality and poise.