Around Brimfield: On the Joe’s controversy (and the best pizza in the world)

It is no secret that Joe’s Barbecue has great food. I am one of his customers and am excited to see a “brick and mortar” restaurant on that corner someday. Recently, I have been disheartened at the response to the controversy between owner Joe Menendez and township and county officials. Social media has had an onslaught of keyboard warriors sharing opinions of who has been the cause of Menendez’ troubles, many expressing a perception of corruption, calling for a boycott of Mike’s Place Restaurant, and making allegations that are not necessarily based on facts. Bernard Baruch, who was a great statesman, wrote “The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. Every man has a right to his opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.”

Opinions do not define reality. For example, many opinions alleged that Township Trustee, Mike Kostensky, was to blame, supposedly because he did not want Joe’s Barbecue to be in competition with his restaurant. When Kostensky missed the last trustee meeting on March 20, the Portager Documenter who covered the meeting wrote, “Menendez suggested that Kostensky, who was absent from the meeting, had willfully avoided the morning’s meeting. Dalziel interjected on Kostensky’s behalf. Menendez shot back: ‘I thought this wasn’t a discussion. I think that’s why Mike’s not here.’”