TRACEY BENDINGER | Culture | Contact
Members of the popular East Coast beach town community have been forced to swallow their pride this afternoon at a town hall meeting after the mayor announced the town’s economy was hanging on by a thread.
“I know you all hate tourists, but for this town to survive we need them” Said Mayor Kimby.
The townspeople groaned, knowing that their hatred of tourists was irrational and that they did in fact need their big city dollars to keep the bills paid.
Since the beginning of the Covid crisis, police in the coastal town had been militant about issuing fines to anyone with an out-of-town license plate. And while this kind of made sense during the crisis, with society starting to open up again these measures seem a little drastic.
“So, I suppose we should have a vote. Should we stop fining people who pile money into our town each year, or do we keep it up and we all go broke? Raise your hand if you want to see the town opened up again.”
“What if they bring their city germs in?” bellowed one man.
“Yeah! We don’t want to be the next Ruby Princess!” echoed another.
“Given the low rates of infection, I’d say that’s unlikely but if it happens we will just have to alert authorities and be sensible.”
Reluctantly, people started raising their hand and after a minute of casting judgmental stares around the room, the majority of people had voted.
“Alright, it’s decided. We will open up the town again.”
“Now, let me be clear, I do not want to hear you complaining about tourists again – as they say, don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
More to come.
