Delilah's gesture deserves gratitude, not guff

According to our calculations, it’s roughly eight weeks until hundreds of visitors desecend on Port Orchard for Cedar

Cove Days expecting to be greeted by the fictional, idealized village of best-selling author Debbie Macomber’s imagination.

But when they step off the tour buses, they’ll be greeted instead by a Bay Street recently characterized by nationally syndicated radio personality Delilah as “butt ugly.”

Leaving aside the rhetorical flourish, it’s clear to everyone the city’s downtown core could stand more than a little sprucing up if it’s expecting company. Which is why we’re thrilled that Delilah is taking the bull by the horns by helping to organize a volunteer effort to give the neglected Bay Street structures a little love in the form of a new coat of paint — which she’s personally helping to underwrite.

Had more Port Orchard residents demonstrated a similar sense of community spirit and generosity over the years, maybe its centerpiece wouldn’t need the help.

But it does, and she’s offering.

And what thanks does she get? Carping from foot-draggers whose feelings are hurt they weren’t consulted and from amateur interior decorators concerned she’ll choose a color scheme they won’t like, that’s what.

Are they serious? In some cases about the only thing holding the buildings together is the paint, and you want to quibble over whether they’re done over in puce or persimmon?

We can sympathize with the completely legitimate concerns of business owners who can’t cope with the loss of revenue brought about by closing shops for a weekend of painting, and one would hope there’s a way to do what needs to be done without inflicting needless damage on the very merchants we’re trying to help.

What we don’t get is the pettiness and personal attacks on someone who’s sole interest is helping Port Orchard help itself.

For heavens sake, how about a little gratitude?

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