Good Days and More to Come
By Albert B. Kelly
Government, and especially
bureaucracy, can be a hard sort of grind. Maybe it’s not anyone’s fault or
maybe it’s everyone’s fault, but regardless of how it came to be, getting
things done and making a little progress can be a tough slog. As I’ve said on past
occasions, you don’t often get those really good days in government.
That’s why I was
pleasantly surprised and more than a little encouraged when we, as a community,
had what I would only describe as a good week. It started with the relaunch of
Sunset Lake and the Raceway. I was encouraged by the strong turn-out that
morning and it was good to see the number of people that really care about the
lake and the Raceway.
This past Tuesday (June 9th)
was an exceptionally good day. For openers, I had the honor and privilege to be
invited to join the team at Century Savings Bank in celebration of their 150th
years of service to the greater Bridgeton area and South Jersey.
They have every reason to
be proud; having merely survived the various financial crises that have dotted
the landscape since their start in 1865 is no small accomplishment and would in
and of itself be enough. But they not only survived, they thrived and the
evidence of that can be seen in the multiple generations they have served over
that time span.
That their roots and their
start were in Bridgeton matters very much to them and this was expressed in no
small way by their willingness to mark the occasion by sponsoring a new archway
span that will be placed over Mayor Aitkin Drive marking everyone’s entrance into
the “Bridgeton City Park & Cohanzick Zoo”
Needless to say I am
grateful for their generosity and their ongoing commitment to our community and
the many communities and families they serve in our area.
But Tuesday got better;
after leaving the celebration with Century Savings Bank, I made my way up to
New Brunswick to join the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority (NJRA) as they
presented a $10 million check to Renewable Jersey for the development of their
modular home manufacturing plant at our former Port Authority site.
The successful completion
of this project means over 100 jobs for our community when it’s up and running,
it means increased economic activity through various channels, and the
introduction of a sustainable housing product for the broader
marketplace-what’s not to like.
To top things off, I also
received news last Tuesday that the Bridgeton Area Transit Bus Service will
receive funding to cover the next year of service so citizens will not have to
worry about whether they have enough money to get to a doctor’s visit, a job,
or a grocery store in the greater Bridgeton area.
None of these alone will
answer all the challenges we face as a community but collectively they
represent progress and taken together, they amount to some positive momentum as
we press ahead to improve and grow our community.
I realize that a few
cynics and fault-finders out there will sniff at the notion of our community
making some progress, but they would sniff no matter what. We know this type of
cynic; point to this accomplishment, they immediately ask “what about that?” And
so it goes.
It’s easy to be that way
or find fault when you’re not the one charged with the responsibility of
providing answers or coming up with solutions. I accept that for what it is;
but rarely do they come with their A-game meaning anything useful, they just
suck the oxygen out of the room.
But there’s a lot of hard
work underway to keep our community moving forward and facing in the right
direction. It’s not always visible and obvious but it’s there despite the fact
that government and bureaucracy often move like a glacier.
I wanted to share this
because I’m optimistic; not discouraged and not pessimistic or negative about
our prospects. Approaching the end of my fifth year in office, the passion and
enthusiasm for the work to be done remains high. It’s been tempered with the reality
that there’s much to do, but it’s also been sustained by the knowledge that
we’ll do it together.
So here’s to a some good days
with many more to come.