The character of a city can be determined simply by the way it looks in many cases. Dilapidated buildings  and neighborhoods in Detroit tell the story of a once proud city now dealing with unemployment and rising crime. Sections of St. Louis tell the same story.  I can go on and on naming other large cities in our country with the same issues.

But this is not just a big city problem. Medium and small cities across our land face problems with rundown buildings and blighted neighborhoods.  I bring that up because Quincy seems to be headed that way. There comes a point to where the problem is almost unfixable. Hopefully, this city and its residents will step up before it becomes too late.

Abandoned buildings are never a good thing. Once no one occupies a building nothing good can happen to that structure. With that said, owners must find a way to fix those buildings or have them torn down.

This issue of the "Character of a City" isn’t just about dilapidated buildings.  Neighborhoods with decent structures must still find a way to keep them clear of debris. And trash and littering also shows the character of a city.  Just drive down Quincy’s main arteries. Look on the side of the road and you will notice a mounting litter problem for our city.

When people visit our city for the first time and they see all this litter in the streets their impression of this town is tainted because we all know how great Quincy is. But as they say, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Let’s keep

Quincy a city of great character and not go down the path of other past great cities.

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