Mayor's Message - June 1, 2020
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Like many of you, I have watched what is happening around our nation following the appalling death of George Floyd in Minnesota. I certainly understand the reason for the protests and demonstrations which followed in that state and in many states around the country. Peaceable protests and demonstrations are a hallmark of our democracy and there were many such events which served the purpose of creating dialogue and furthering necessary change in our communities. Some of the protests turned into riots, often with looting, property damage and violence. This unfortunately lessened the focus on the discourse which the original protests were searching for.
There are bad people in this world. There are bad doctors, but not all doctors are bad. There are bad lawyers, but not all lawyers are bad. There are bad plumbers and electricians, but not all are bad. There is good and bad in every profession. Some are bad because they are just not good at what they do. Unfortunately, some are bad because of the way they think. Yes, there are bad cops in this world as well. However, the vast majority of the men and women in law enforcement are dedicated to the protection of our communities and are caring towards EVERY individual. Likewise, there are those who use the guise of protest to incite unlawful acts of destruction and violence. However, the vast majority of protestors are peaceful and are exercising their constitutionally given right to give voice and discussion to their cause.
Here in Lincoln Park, as almost everywhere in our nation, we are a very diverse community. We have different races, nationalities and religions. We have citizens that are passionate about the causes they believe in and are vocal and active in their support for their causes. We are proud to have a police department in Lincoln Park which is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community regardless of race, nationality or religion.
In a time where we have now gotten used to acronyms such as PPE and PPP, I would like to suggest a new one…PPU. Peace, Patience and Understanding. In all of our actions we should be peaceful. We should be patient with others that we have differences of opinions with. In the event that you do not agree with someone’s opinion, please at least try to understand why they feel the way they do and at the very least that they are entitled to their feelings just as you are. If we all practice Peace, Patience and Understanding we will lay the foundation for open, constructive dialogue and the potential for positive change.
As we continue to heal from the health and economic result of the COVID-19 disease, I hope that we can heal the divisiveness we are seeing right now in our country.
Regarding the corona virus, we continue to see a decrease in the total active cases of COVID-19 in Lincoln Park. We have had two weeks of single digit new cases and those who have previously tested positive continue to recover, often without any serious symptoms or complications. As of June 1st, in Lincoln Park we have had a cumulative total of 342 positive cases of which 176 have been from LTC. The great number of individuals who have recovered from the disease and the unfortunate few who have passed away total 332. This leaves us with a total of 10 active cases in Lincoln Park as of June 1st. Of the active cases, 7 reside in LTC, leaving 3 active cases in our general population.
Much of our local economy remains closed for those few cases. There will be some relaxing of restrictions in the coming weeks mostly in the areas of youth sports, outdoor gatherings and summer camps. Many of you have asked, and no, I never received a response to my letters to Governor Murphy requesting that we begin to reopen businesses in town. Likewise, he did not mention non-essential businesses, restaurants or personal care facilities at all in his press conference on Friday last week. I am hopeful that we will hear a plan from the governor this week about opening this very important part of our community.
I have been in contact with many of our food establishments, or their property owners, throughout this entire ordeal and we will be doing all that we can to help them get up and running as quickly as possible. It is likely that outdoor dining may be allowed before opening interior dining rooms. There may be temporary road closures, parking lot dining areas and other creative ideas set up around our business area to help with this important part of recovery. I am thankful of how well we as a community have supported our affected businesses and I hope you will continue to do so as they reopen.
Please continue to stay safe and healthy and follow all health recommendations as we move forward. And, please, also remember to practice Peace, Patience and Understanding.
Mayor David Runfeldt
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