Our City Government and the people of Albany face many challenges in the New Year due to the national economic crisis that continues to grow with serious consequences. We are enduring the effects of home foreclosures, the failure of financial institutions, auto companies, growing unemployment and the uncertainty of oil prices. This has hit every Albany resident, family and every Albany business owner in the pocketbook. With job losses rising each month our people are hurting. The difficulties our nation faces right now seem never-ending as we try to rise out of the recession and regain our economic balance.
The bright side is that Albany has great strength in her people and businesses. We survived the recession of the 1980’s, and we will survive again as we close ranks and work together for the common good.
Our biggest strength will always be in our people and their courage, caring and sacrifice in responding to the needs of our people and the community.
Fortunately Albany has a diversified economic base which many communities do not have. Let us be thankful for the resulting variety of jobs in our fair city, and for those businesses that are doing well despite the current economic downturn.
No one person will be able solve the economic crisis, and we can only hope that our national leaders can work together to provide the necessary assistance and guidance for our nation.
Reach out: Too often, people feel isolated from their neighbors and from their local government. Let’s change that attitude in Albany.
Listen: I and other city leaders can show we care by doing all we can to listen and respond to members of our community.
Conserve: We must make sure our decisions minimize the financial burden to the community as a whole. We will do our best to hold down the costs of taxes and fees.
Be More Creative: The City can seek new ways to look out-of-the-box for creative solutions that could help save money and resources.
We can buy local: Supporting our Albany business community helps the whole community and is a critical contribution that all citizens can make in these hard times.
Be neighborly: Many people are or could be faced with job loss. Check on your neighbors and see if they need help.
If you are unable to offer assistance, then try and connect them to the many available City and State resources.Stay alert: We can all be the eyes and ears for our police department in order to keep our neighborhoods safe.
Volunteer: There are many worthy community service organizations that rely on volunteers to provide their service.
Give us suggestions: Our City has wise, caring and creative people. The City needs your ideas in how we can better deal with the growing economic crisis.
We have many reasons to be proud of our community. We live here together and call Albany home. It takes everyone to make us strong and in times of crisis this is even more critical. We can decide to overcome past problems and differences and work together for the greater good of Albany, which we may find that we have contributed to a renewal of a spirit of community and cooperation that we will all be proud to say we created. We are a community with compassion and a special Oregon character. Let us all resolve to strengthen both our commitment and our compassion in the year to come.
Let there be peace to all.
-Sharon Konopa