Mayor's Minute: September 2020

What a year it has been! Also, what a four-year term it has been! I am honored to have served as your mayor for the past four years. I look forward to the next four years as I, and your City Council, will be sworn in on Monday, Nov. 2.

Let’s reflect on just a few items that we have accomplished during the last four years:

► The Infrastructure and Community Spaces Plan was the largest municipal capital improvement project in our city’s history. This program funded infrastructure improvements with two dozen stormwater projects and modernized parks and recreation facilities across the city. This project also includes the purchase and repurposing of the old Gold’s Gym, which will be transformed into your new community center.

► We have been able to fund the above project while sustaining a strong financial condition. Moody’s Investor Services increased our credit rating to “AAA,” the highest possible rating for municipalities. We are one of three cities in the state to hold this rating. We have been able to increase our emergency reserves at the same time.

► We have implemented unprecedented road resurfacing projects as well as major sidewalk construction projects such as Green Valley Road, Crosshaven Drive, East Street and Rocky Ridge Road, to name a few.

Consider that for several years running, Vestavia Hills has been rated as the number one city for livability in the state of Alabama and the safest city in the state for cities with populations in excess of 22,000.

I would like to thank our City Council during this term for making this happen along with the superb leadership of Jeff Downes, the city manager.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer in spite of the coronavirus restrictions regarding masks, social distancing and public gatherings. This situation has been overwhelming to say the least.

With that in mind, I would like to share some thoughts from author John Maxwell.

“Overcome” has two distinct meanings. First, you can be “overcome” from anxiety, fear and societal events, such as pandemics, that can overwhelm you. You might even question if it is futile to even try to correct the situation. The second meaning is when you “overcome” the situation you are facing. Overcoming has two components. You must believe that you can overcome something and you must take action to resolve the situation you are in. To overcome is to be resilient and being resilient means having the courage to bounce back and take risks despite adversity and initial setbacks.

Presently our state and our nation are overcome with the virus that has now claimed more lives in the United States than anywhere else in the world. I continue to be optimistic that our country, our state and our city will bounce back.

When this is published, we will have held our city election for Place 3 on the City Council. I look forward to working with the council as we complete the many projects that we started and have dealt with over the past several years.

Let’s remember our school administrators, the teachers and the students as they face the challenges of a very different kind of school year.

I know that it has been a trying time for all but we can “overcome” this pandemic.