Weekly Dispatch with Mayor Sullivan

In my Mayor’s update this week, I wish each of you a joyous Holiday Season and a most prosperous New Year. Remember, this is the time of year when most families and friends gather together. They share memories and look to the new year with hope and faith. For many it may be a difficult time. Let us reach out and help others. A simple act of kindness will brighten someone’s day. Let us deliver the true essence of this holiday season and keep it moving throughout the new year.

And for yourselves, take time to rejuvenate and enjoy the festivities. Stay healthy, both physically and mentally—for it is only by taking care of ourselves that we can continue to serve our community and bring positivity into the New Year.

Soon I will have concluded my first term as Mayor, and this is an honor that I do not take lightly. I have made it a point of making myself as available as much as possible. I have paid attention to your comments and concerns.

I have assessed what has been working well and what needs added attention. Our City is filled with traditions and an enormous past of helping others. We have caring organizations and community charitable entities. We have amazing volunteers. Multi-generational families adorn our City bolstering an inside family feel. There are newcomers in our gem of a City. They bring new family traditions and brighten our future. United is what our City should always be. Let us remember that as we enjoy this holiday season.

Some traditions we enjoyed with our elders may have been replaced with City lights. But let us not forget the family rituals that made us the good people that we are today. Let us not trade those memories for anything in the world. No matter how your rituals of the holiday culminate into your own choice of celebration, the common ground is love, joy and peace on earth. So, sing from your heart with so much love that all can hear.

I am thankful for our great City. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for all of Newport and the State of Vermont. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to serve our City and our State. So again, let’s share that gesture of kindness, whether it is a meal or an impromptu visit to someone who is alone, let us turn despair into hope and faith. Let us turn those frowns into smiles. Let us do it together.

The holiday spirit is not just about what happens on the day of the holiday. It is embracing any opportunity to show kindness and generosity throughout the season. Every gesture of care strengthens the bonds in our City. As we enjoy this special time, it is also important to recognize that our City is going through a period of change with

upcoming exciting plans for its future. We wish current President of the Council, Chris Vachon, best wishes for his future endeavor and thank him for his service on the City Council. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work closely with him. Elections are coming, and no matter the outcome, we must remain a strong, united City. We must retain the values of kindness, respect and a commitment to one another. That is what should define us. So let’s focus on what brings us together. We are not just neighbors. We are friends, partners and teammates working together for a better future for all.

As Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Happy holidays to all. Thank you for your confidence — Your Mayor, Linda Joy Sullivan