Weekly comments from Dale Martin

By Dale Martin
City Manager
November 16, 2018 12:00 a.m.

In this brief interlude between election excitement and commercial craziness (except, unfortunately, in Florida where the elections apparently do not end), the special American holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated. The time to celebrate Thanksgiving gets more and more compressed every year.

Christmas merchandising begins immediately after Halloween and is at full throttle the day after Thanksgiving. Who has time to be thankful or time to reflect on our blessings when the line at Best Buy or Walmart queues before the leftovers make it to the refrigerator?

We can be thankful that no significant storms affected us in 2018. After two successive years of tropical storms and hurricanes, we can continue our recovery somewhat unimpeded (except by FEMA paperwork). Over the course of the next few days and weeks, activity will markedly increase at the Marina as two projects commence- the replacement of the attenuator (breakwater) and the dredging of the southern basin.

We can be hopeful for our families and friends in Mexico Beach and other Panhandle communities that suffered substantially more as a result of Hurricane Michael than we did from Hurricanes Matthew and Irma. Disasters have a way of captivating us as they happen, but fade from the consciousness in proportion to the distance from the event- the rest of the country and world simply move on, waiting to witness the next disaster, as people, families, and communities struggle to regain some sense of normalcy. Are you aware of the fires in California that have killed dozens and destroyed hundreds of homes?

Meanwhile, we play petanque, prepare for the downtown Pajama Party on Black Friday, and Dickens on Centre. It’s normal. Life, on the surface and to outside observers, is good. Our community still has many in need. If we didn’t, the area support agencies wouldn’t be as busy or engaged as they are. Those agencies need additional support.
Barnabas just conducted its annual Empty Bowls luncheon to raise awareness and funds to combat local hunger issues. The Council on Aging, in the midst of its transition to its new facility, held its annual gala benefit last month. The Friends of the Library is conducting a book sale this weekend. The Nassau County Boys and Girls Club has announced their annual benefit- Feb 2 at the Ritz Carlton. Other organizations and local churches conduct similar campaigns to provide a necessary and steady stream of funding to support their constituents, our neighbors.

Support for these agencies doesn’t need to be financial. Nearly every one of the organizations described above have approached me at City Hall to plead for assistance in finding volunteers. An apparent great need is actually for organizational leadership- the governing boards of those agencies are losing long-time members and struggling to fill those vacancies.

Would you be willing to serve in such a capacity? Do you have an interest or passion that might be channeled into meaningful support for community organizations? The City needs volunteers, too, to make our many boards and commissions function, but, in all honesty, government will grind on- it’s what we do. The community agencies do not have the resources to grind on- the desire and will to help others in need simply cannot put shoes on bare feet, food on bare tables, or hope in bare souls. Those organizations need leaders to provide direction and visibility and need other volunteers to fulfill their mission.

Look around and look inward. I have been incredibly blessed to have been called to this community, and many of you have shared with me that you feel similarly blessed to live, work, and play in such a beautiful place. City Commissioner Phillip Chapman struggles emotionally at many meetings to share and reinforce his belief that it is the people that make this community special. The many people that I have met over the past three years supports that belief; the many people that I have not met means that we still have work to do.

I encourage you, as part of the graciousness of Thanksgiving and the joy of Christmas, to consider the talents and wealth that you might offer to elevate this community to an even higher quality.

Blessings and happiness to all of you next week and next year.