Pothole Rage

A Hillcrest man got so frustrated he decided to do something about it himself

Primo Vannicelli was filling the pothole in front of his Hillcrest house with phone books.  The hole kept getting bigger and bigger until it started breaking apart when cars drove by.

"I got hit by debris," said Vannicelli, and that was the final straw. That day the Italian born college professor bought two bags of concrete for $11 and filled in the pothole by himself.

"A neighbor drove by and gave me a big cone," said Vannicelli. "When I was done I put a piece of plywood on top and so it was very safe."  But safe or not, city officials don't like the idea of citizens doing their own road work.

"Well I appreciate the Moxie of it but I don't advise it," said San Diego 3rd District City Councilman Todd Gloria. 

Gloria said his office got a copy of Vannicelli's online complaint and said he filled it out incorrectly. 

"We can only fix what we are aware of," Gloria said.

Primo admits he made a mistake on the form and wishes he had called city officials to get the job done.  But he said in his native Italy, when there is a problem, neighbors gather together to fix it.

"I think it's a masterpiece," said Vannicelli. "Michelangelo would be proud of me."

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