Valuing Community Amidst Heavy Times

Council Corner: Valuing Community Amidst Heavy Times

By April Sither

This article was slated to be about the budget. I had planned to review the process that the Finance Committee and Town staff undertook, to get into the weeds and explain the tax rate computation worksheet, and possibly even humble-brag that we met our council goals. But if you are anything like me, the world feels very heavy lately. So heavy that I’m not confident many have the bandwidth right now to read even the most enthralling summary of our municipal budget. (If you are interested in taking a closer look at this year's budget, I promise there is a wealth of information available on the Town website.) 

I had the pleasure of attending an event this week where Bill Nemitz was the keynote speaker. For those who might not be familiar, Mr. Nemitz is a longtime journalist for the Portland Press Herald who got his start, as it turns out, covering municipal meetings in the 1970’s. What struck me about his speech was the poignant reminder that no matter how heavy the world gets, communicating and connecting with one another keeps our community strong. And so with that spirit front of mind, I will use the rest of my space this week to highlight some of the things I have seen around our community recently that have lifted my spirits…maybe if I am clever I can find a way to tie them back to the budget. 

I will start with my own 4-year-old, who is basically joy personified. She is quite smitten with a young man she saw being picked up at the middle school way back in September. This young man, 8 years her senior, happens to be the son of a friend of mine, so we frequently exchange messages about my daughter’s affection and the many cards, drawings, and trinkets she lovingly creates for him. While all of her cuteness certainly brings me joy, it is the sweet smile and the kind way he always says “thank you” when presented with a handful of wilted dandelions that really shines. Thank you parents and caregivers for raising kind kids who demonstrably put others first.  

The next one I will share is from our local “buy nothing” group on social media. The concept of the buy nothing group is to offer people a way to give and receive, share, lend, and express gratitude within the community. People give away things from moving boxes to refrigerators, and everything in between! Recently someone was in need of a lawn mower, which is no small request. Within hours, not only had someone offered to mow their lawn, but within days multiple people had offered their old mower. Thank you for fostering a community that takes care of each other. 

This last one might sound strange, but hear me out. I am grateful to have attended a lot of town meetings recently. And while no one loves to sit in meetings, what strikes me is the sheer number of volunteers we have in this community. I sit on committees with no less than 20 different individuals who prioritize their time for weeks and months to offer their expertise, exchange ideas, and advise decision making. And those are just my committee assignments! There are also dozens of volunteers making youth sports happen on nearly every town field, not to mention our many service groups here in town. Thank you for being a community that answers the call to service. 

While the world might feel heavy, I am comforted by all of the connectivity I see within our community, and I feel strongly that this year’s school and municipal budgets reflect our values and priorities. See, I knew I could get back to the budget. As we head into summer, I hope that everyone reading this makes a point to vote in our municipal election on June 14th. Early voting is happening now at Town Hall, and while you are there, don’t forget to grab your beach pass! 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough Town Council.