Dad vs. the City of Princeton

After Dad developed the Homestead Addition (my house is there, along with about 20 other homes)…the City of Princeton decided to come out to annex us. It was the 80’s, and 20 brand new houses looked like a nice addition to the City Tax rolls.

Dad was ticked off, and they had to bypass THREE large farms to get to us. Obviously, being in the city would mean paying more taxes.

Dad was preparing to fight the annexation -- when he realized there were some big benefits to being part of Princeton. Like -- STREET maintenance, snow removal, garbage pickup, etc.

So, Dad decided to let the annexation happen.  However, forcing Princeton to deliver their city services became Dad’s full-time job. He attended many City Council meetings, and he became a huge thorn in their side. The County Board of Supervisors forced Princeton to take possession of our streets and they reluctantly agreed to pick up our garbage.

The one thing that did NOT happen was cable television service. That fight went on for several years. Princeton said it was up to Mediacom, who said it didn’t make economic sense for them to run a line for only 20 customers.

Dad went to more meetings, pointing out the fact that the Mediacom contract was with the City of Princeton -- and we were, after all, part of the city… Besides, the Mediacom cable line went RIGHT PAST the Homestead Addition…

The Mayor told Dad he didn’t know what he was talking about, as the Mediacom cable did not go past Homestead…but, instead, came in from the other side of town.

The next day, Dad went out to the corner of the addition, set himself up with his rifle, a cigar, and a lawn chair (this could take some time). Eventually, he shot down the cable line in question.

Turns out, Dad was right. The Mediacom line does go right past Homestead on it's way into town.

It was only a matter of days before every house in my housing addition had cable television.

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Tomorrow, I'll write about Dad's family secret...