Mayor’s Minute By Ashley Curry- July 2021

We are returning to some degree of normalcy after coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.  It felt good to have our “I Love America Day” event at the newly renovated Wald Park and to be able to interact with our friends and neighbors in person. There was a sense of “independence” by being out with people, and it is fitting that we celebrate our nation’s independence this month.

I recently spoke to the graduating seniors at Vestavia Hills High School. I would like to share some of that message with our citizens.

During the pandemic, we learned the value of personal interactions with our friends. We missed that interaction while we were quarantined, isolated  and only able to meet with our friends, our church groups or other events via Zoom or some other virtual medium.

When our ability to interact socially with friends was taken away from us, we realized how much we missed it. I think we should take what we learned from the pandemic and apply it to our future. As you start your careers and your families, take time to remain in contact with your friends. Friendship is a lifelong endeavor, and having good, strong friendships is as important for yourself as diet and exercise.

Nothing in life comes easy. If this past year has taught you nothing else, it has taught you that no obstacle is so great that you can’t overcome it. You finished one of the most difficult school years that I have ever witnessed.

It takes determination to do this and you certainly demonstrated that. Let me give you an example of tenacity. I receive at least three calls per week about purchasing an extended warranty for my car. These callers are persistent, but the quintessential example was the guy walking down the beach who found a bottle that had washed ashore. The bottle contained a message that read, “I’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s warranty.” Now that was “dogged determination” to achieve results.

We are also seeing our local businesses rebound from the operating restrictions imposed during the pandemic. But now our businesses are facing another crisis: a labor shortage. They are having difficulty finding employees who want to work. I would ask all of our citizens to continue to support our businesses and to be patient as they try to offer the services for which we were accustomed.

Recently I contacted the governor’s office to inquire about the recent directive to end participation in all federally funded pandemic unemployment compensation programs, citing businesses that are struggling to find employees. Alabama served notice of the withdrawal but proclaimed June 19 as the effective date. I questioned why we had to wait until June 19 when we were desperately trying to help our businesses now. Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington advised that the U.S. Department of Labor requires any state that decides to opt out of these payments must give a 30-day notice prior to ending the payments. We are hopeful that in the coming weeks more and more applicants will be seeking jobs in our community so the businesses in Vestavia Hills and the entire state can return to normal.

We will get through this. Just remember that “Sometimes you will find yourself in the middle of chaos, and sometimes in the middle of that chaos, you will find yourself.”