Local Businessman Dead - Government Contributed

Robert Marshall, owner of Chuckwagon BBQ on East State Street died at Parkview Hospital. While his health was not perfect his death was sped up by the stress placed on him by the City of Fort Wayne and Allen County Government. Frank Gray wrote an outstanding article about Marshall's passing and the tribulations he suffered right up to the hour of his passing.

The article can be read at The Journal Gazette:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/LOCAL0201/710040340
Other local blogs with posts:
Fort Wayne News
http://www.fortwaynenews.com/index.php/2007/10/04/in-memory-of-bruce-marshall/#comments
Fort Wayne Left
http://fortwayneindiana.blogspot.com/2007/10/bureaucrats-kill-local-business.html

While Mayor Richard and Fort Wayne City Council members played around with the Harrison Square project they failed to fine the time to work with Marshall. Marshall leaked out a living by BBQing ribs, chicken, pork, and limited other foods outside his restaurant.

City Council member Dr. John Crawford travels by the Chuckwagon nearly every day of the week. Mr. Crawford read the newspaper articles that where printed about his running plight with the Allen County Board of Health. Councilman Crawford showed how little his leadership extended. He made no public effort to help this small businessman.

One has to wonder if Marshall was not a member of the right political party or was not connected to the right power brokers?

One has to wonder where the Mayor's office was? They claim they are there to help the small businessman but they failed here.

Not one of the people, who campaign on the issue of being for the small businessman, stood up and helped out. They all where looking for the Harrison Square money grab, and made sure they and their friends got their piece of the pie.

When you elected officials appear before a group or on television there may be some of us out here that will always look at you much like someone guilty of manslaughter. Maybe not in the legal sense, but in the moral sense you have.

For many of you, doing the right thing is something that ends when the last vote is cast during an election. For City Council, you should have a moment of silence before your next meeting in honor of Mr. Marshall, it is the least you can do!

For many of us bloggers we are saddened we did not do more. Maybe had we raised enough noise someone would have stood up and worked with Marshall, instead of working against him.