Franklin Mayor Tony Giuna has resigned, another example of how much the coronavirus pandemic has affected the way we view life.
“My family and I are going through a significant life experience — one where the death of a loved one teaches you to never take family and friends for granted,” he states in his letter of resignation. “To maximize my time with those I always assumed would be there beside me forever and now harshly realize that is not the case, I have decided to resign as Mayor of this great City of Franklin effective today January 15th, 2021.”
It took the death of Tony’s 95-year-old mother to wrench him away from a job he loved: promoting the rebirth of a city that had been floundering since the loss of its industrial base. Tony had presided over some exciting developments for the state’s smallest city, and he noted those in his farewell statement.
“In the past three years we’ve achieved incredible success. The Whitewater Park, Mill City Park, Stevens Mill, Peabody Home, Cumberland Farms, Central Street expansion, a booming real estate market, and the list goes on. Franklin is poised to regain its prestigious status that it occupied not so many years ago. We’ve all played a significant part in this success and we should be proud of our achievements together.”
Yet, as many others have learned, family connections can be more powerful than even strong community connections. When faced with personal loss, the loftiest career goals can move out of reach. It doesn’t mean abandoning “community” but often, by recalibrating how one deals with uncertainty, the community is better served.
There is a growing acceptance of measures designed to protect others from the devastation of COVID-19. As powerful new strains of the virus are appearing around the world, with a greater chance of transmission between people, precautions that were being relaxed are now being enhanced instead.
The Newfound Area School District has announced new plans for safely holding its upcoming deliberative session on Jan. 30. The district will limit seating to 160 people in the high school gymnasium so it can maintain safe physical distancing. If more people show up, they will be able to watch and participate through a live video stream in the school auditorium, or in classrooms if more private spaces are needed. Everyone will be required to wear a mask, and there will be microphones so those in the remote locations can participate in any discussion.
The district held its budget hearing in the gymnasium, as well, but the poor accoustics and lack of effective microphones rendered much of the presentation useless — no one could hear what was being said. The larger scale of the deliberative session may mean a better effort at providing a useful sound system.
Health professionals, meanwhile, are urging everyone to avoid indoor gatherings as much as possible, and saying people should limit trips to the grocery store, arranging pickup or delivery as much as possible, to avoid spending more than a few minutes inside.
The News Café is a virtual meeting place where subscribers can share their thoughts and questions about the news of the day — or any topic. We may even select a subject for in-depth analysis. So fill your cup with your favorite drink, pull up a chair, and join us at The News Café. Free subscriptions put readers on an email list for public posts, while paid subscriptions provide access to all posts and an archive of stories. Either way, we want to hear from you as we build our community. www.libertymedianh.org