From the Mayor

Tackling the Crisis

When I first heard about the coronavirus a few months ago, I’m sure I had the same reaction many of you did: It seemed to be a far-off problem. I watched video from China and immediately was filled with empathy for the people who were suffering there. The direct impact on me was in my private sector job, where our factories were unable to fulfill orders for weeks, and I could see the day-to-day impact on their people and their economy. I began to see how it could have an impact here in the States without the virus actually being here. But I didn’t see it coming to our shores, at least not with such voracity. By the second week of March, it was becoming quite real, and once schools started closing and major league sports started cancelling, there was no denying it. But what would we do, other than cower in our homes?

We each had to answer that question for ourselves, our families near and far, and suddenly, for our community. I have a Dad in Alabama, in-laws in Gwinnett County, daughters with husbands and children (my GRAND children!) in Charlotte and Dunwoody, a college junior suddenly back home, and a business in Tucker. And as your Mayor, I had a city’s health and welfare to protect.

I remember clearly the first time I saw and understood the chart about “flattening the curve”. It dawned on me all at once that this was not about each of us protecting ourselves from the virus: it was about each of us protecting EACH OTHER from the virus. And as we’ve navigated our way through this time, it’s undeniable that, if not for every single one of you pitching in, even if it’s as simple as that decision you made to stay home for a couple weeks, things could be much worse than they are. As of this writing, I am not yet aware of a single case of COVID-19 in Tucker, though the experts are telling us to brace for it.

I want to use the space in this month’s magazine to look at how the City kept running and how the citizens of the City stepped up and did their part to love their neighbors as themselves.