Summit Mayor Gives State Of Town Address
SUMMIT, NJ — Summit Mayor Nora Radest gave a State of the City address at Tuesday night's Common Council meeting, at which Council President Marjorie Fox was also re-elected as the council president.
In her address, Radest discussed the numerous challenges that came with the coronavirus pandemic starting in March, including protecting residents, helping get food to those shut in, and ensuring that Summit's businesses survived the lockdowns.
"COVID has brought us deep personal losses, financial reversals, educational and childcare challenges, not to mention the countless small disruptions to everyday life," she said. "But the outpouring of support and generosity from my fellow residents, our business owners, and our best-in-class city staff make me genuinely hopeful."
"In the beginning, we received mixed messages," she noted, "and were not sure how to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but it is now clear that we need to wear masks, maintain social distance and avoid indoor gatherings and large outdoor crowds. I thank every one of you who is complying. Your sacrifices directly aid in the safety of our fellow residents, as well as that of our heroic first responders, and the educators and staff in our schools."
She praised the city's business district as "a source of pleasure, almost freedom, for many of us in the summer and fall. I think that many of us have begun to appreciate our beautiful downtown more than ever before. I am hopeful that this will lead to an even stronger commitment to shop local even after this pandemic is behind us."
She discussed various types of heroism and generosity.
"I appreciate the many residents who have made sure to patronize local businesses, bought gift cards, and checked in to see how they can help," she said. "Another area in which residents rallied was in efforts to cushion the serious blow of the pandemic on our most vulnerable residents. One group began shopping for seniors who were unable to leave their homes, leading to the formation of SHIELD (Summit Helping its Elderly and Disabled). Our two food pantries, GRACE and Loaves and Fishes, distributed much-needed provisions to well over 600 families in Summit (an increase of almost six-fold to the numbers needing help prior to the pandemic)."
She also praised first responders, including the volunteer first aid squad.
And she thanked the police, who saved many lives in the course of their work, all while weathering covid.
Development initiatives
Radest also discussed development initiatives.
"I believe it is absolutely imperative that we finalize the Broad Street West Redevelopment Agreement this year," she said. "When I moved to Summit in 1989 the community was talking about the need for thoughtful change in the Broad Street corridor; that was over 30 years ago. It was also the clearest mandate to come out of our 2016 Master Plan re-examination process. One responsibility of the governing body is to provide the opportunity for economic development and we need to act now."
The full text of the speech is here.
Council meetings
The agenda and packet for the Tuesday meeting were here. Other information about the council and its meetings can be found here.
The YouTube link for future meetings is here. The Facebook link is here.
The council has approved these other public meeting dates:
Jan. 5, Jan. 19
Feb. 2, Feb. 17 (Wednesday due to school closures)
March. 2, March 16
April 6, April 20
May 4, May 18
June 1, June 15
July 6, July 27
Sept. 1 (Wed. due to late Labor Day), Sept. 21
Oct. 5, Oct. 19
Nov. 3 (Wed. due to Nov. 2 election), Nov. 15 (Mon)
Nov. 9, Nov. 30 (appointment meetings at 6 p.m. with closed session, mayor, council, and clerk only)
Dec. 1 (Wed. change due to appoinment meetings), Dec. 14
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This article originally appeared on the Summit Patch
