Last night in a ceremony I always enjoy even when I may not like the outcome it confirms, Norwich's elected municipal leadership changed. The office of Mayor is now in the hands of Deberey Hinchey, joined on the City Council by some familiar faces, Mark Bettencourt, Pete Desaulniers and Sofee Noblick, a pair of new faces, Bill Eyberse and Terell Wilson and the return of Bill Nash.
Seven people whose shoulders must be very broad to carry the hopes and expectations of so many of us who say we want better days for the city which we all share. Seven people whose backs must be strong to carry many of us in directions we say we want to explore but, in reality, have absolutely no appetite for the adventure such exploration would require.
As they and we already know from encounters with one another across the city in both formal and informal settings, we are all very eager to go to heaven but not especially keen on dying to get there.
I'm not the only one who believes in shared sacrifice, as long as you (whoever you are are) goes first. Then, and only then (and after a decent interval) will I entertain ideas on how I should compromise so we can all get along and go along.
Welcome to the human condition, population: us. I love the pageantry of 'regime change' if you absolutely have to have a term. The three preceding Mayors escort the new Mayor to her place at the Council as friends and family of all the members crowd the chambers and digitally capture every moment forever.
We make history every day in this city but sometimes we do so it more (self) consciously than other days. I smiled realizing that in our four elections since a return to Mayoral governance, we have yet to re-elect any of our Mayors.
I'm not intimating anything in terms of events four years from now, but am putting a mental stopwatch to how quickly we go from calling upon our newly sworn-in alderpersons to calling them out for all manner of failings, sometimes real but far more often imaginary.
People campaign in poetry but have to govern in prose that has its price and comes with costs, seen, unseen and obscene. One of the laws of physics is that the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound which may be why sometimes people look good until we hear them speak. And by the same token, sometimes the things they do speak so loudly we can't hear what they're saying.
Here's what I thought about last night, aside from elevating one another's blood pressure through unending argument what are we hoping to accomplish in Norwich to (better) grow our commercial tax base which in turn will enhance our community quality of life? While we agree 'we need to do something,' what that something is often is the hardest part.
I could be wrong, and certainly hope I am, but it seems to me the most reticent and reluctant of us to formulate and implement a strategy are frequently the first to loudly point out the shortcomings and weaknesses of those elected to address the very challenges we are complaining about.
Our Mayor and City Council can do anything, but they can’t do everything. Only together with each of us can they, and we, succeed.
-bill kenny
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