Trees were knocked down without a permit so equipment could access this 22-acre site (in pink) to do soil tests behind my condo complex. My concern is the limited access to the site through one narrow road, emptying so close to a road within 200 feet of Newberry Road, a major thoroughfare.

Passionate gadfly next step in retirement journey?

Clearing trees on adjacent property piqued my interest and resulted in a stop order from the city.

Now that I’m retired, I can imagine becoming one of those residents who attends public meetings to complain or criticize elected leaders. Such self-appointed gadflies were the bane of my life as a reporter as they would drone on during the citizens comments, extending already lengthy meetings.

And yet sometimes they benefit local journalists by helping them see less obvious stories. They can make a difference just by being curious about what’s going on in their neighborhoods and asking questions as I recently did.

I didn’t go to a meeting, but I wanted to inquire why a bulldozer had knocked down trees on a narrow lot next to my condo community. It appeared they were making an access road in a flood zone.

It turned out the owner had not obtained a permit for knocking down the trees. The city halted the work, and they were required to mitigate their actions. Score one for civic engagement. It’s worth noting that the owners or their people accessed the area…