Thankful to Serve
By Albert B Kelly
As we approach Thanksgiving and consider things like gratitude
and thankfulness, of course my thoughts turn to family and friends. As with all
of us, we think of those people and the close relationships that sustain us
throughout the seasons of our lives and mostly we feel thankful. This is as it
should be. But as I look ahead to starting a third term as mayor for the
Bridgeton community, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve provided by the
voters and thankful for the people who will serve with me. The fact of the
matter is that I love my community and as a whole, I have a special affection
for our citizens that transcend what happens as part of an election cycle.
Admittedly, serving is not always simple and I know that on
more than a few occasions over the previous two terms I’ve not always met everyone’s
expectations, but it has not been for a lack of wanting to or a lack of trying.
As I look ahead to a third term, I’m pretty sure that I won’t meet every single
set of expectations in the upcoming four years, but that prospect does nothing
to change the fact that I am thankful for the opportunity to serve.
Often when I am attending an event, a forum, or some
speaking engagement as Bridgeton’s mayor, I refer to and introduce our
community as “The Great City of Bridgeton”. I say this because I am
well-acquainted with the quality of our people and more than that, the
potential of what we can become as a community and a destination. Of course when
I refer to “The great City of Bridgeton”, it’s not as if I don’t see some of the
eyes rolling or hear a little of the sarcasm and cynicism, because I do. I know
it sounds corny to some and to others, it sounds as if I’m denying what they
believe is plainly obvious about our community.
I’m not oblivious to some of the negative perceptions held
by some both inside and outside the community and I’m not oblivious to the
reality of our problems- I know them all too well. But I refer to the city as I
do because I am firmly convinced of our potential and the ability that exists
within the vast majority of our residents to fulfill our potential as a
community. It is bit of a marker and a hedge against the curse of low expectations,
disconnection, discouragement, and defeat whether it comes from within or from
without.
This is no small thing in the current climate, but it took
on a new dimension when we lost the local newspaper. Say what you will about
the media in general and people say a lot, but the hyper-local reporting that
marked the local newspaper kept people in the know about the ebbs and flows of
the community as well as the success or failure of a given program or
initiative. But more than that, the wall-to-wall coverage provided by the local
paper gave the community a sense of identity while serving to connect
neighbors. It allowed a community to see its own reflection.
In the absence of real local coverage, what we’re left with
is a few headline-making stories, mostly negative or crime-related, and
whatever is in the “comments” section below those stories. It does not make for
a balanced view and it certainly doesn’t capture the good, the kindnesses, the
creativity, or even the “ordinariness” of the people and families that call
this place home. This matters a great deal when there’s such enormous pressure
to regard different groups and cultures with suspicion.
Looking ahead, I have high expectations and I will continue
to strive to meet them so we have a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous place
to live, work and play. I won’t say it will be without setbacks as our
challenges are many, but they are certainly not insurmountable.
Addressing our challenges and fulfilling our potential will
involve a lot of hard work, innovation, creativity, patience, persistence, and
even perhaps a bit of luck. The effort will encompass everything whether
wrestling with the budget, enforcing our codes, attracting jobs, improving our
parks, environmental clean-up, policing and crime, growing the tax base, helping
the homeless, or connecting our students to better opportunities. On behalf of
myself, my administration, and City Council; thank you for a chance to serve
and have happy Thanksgiving.