Friends,
Happy 2022! Let us all hope and work for a great new year.
A year ago, I wrongly predicted that 2021 would surely see us emerge from the pandemic. Miraculous vaccines had arrived and promised protection. But not enough of us took them.
We now see the highest case numbers ever. Health care workers are incredulous and exhausted. Hospitals are full of people who don’t have to be there. Some are dying.
We can’t sugarcoat this. People who are unvaccinated are dying. Before the vaccine, my wife was 11 days in the hospital. She survived COVID. Her mother did not. Please protect yourselves – and all of us.
On the other hand, our economy is recovering. Schools are open with eager students. And vaccines have kept many of us safe – saving over a million lives in the US. I do believe, hope, that 2022 will see great progress continue, though I expect not without setbacks and frustrations, including Omicron.
A year ago, we also worried about our democracy. The 2020 national elections promised a new era. But today, on this one-year anniversary of the shocking January 6th attempted American insurrection in Washington, DC, no miracle vaccines against anti-democracy have arrived.
Instead, purposeful actions in dozens of states worsen a perilous situation. Many, including esteemed leaders, fear for our democracy – that our very republic may be eroding beyond recognition.
“Think globally. Act locally.” When I consider systemic threats to democracy, and the existential challenge of climate change, and the pernicious legacies of racism and sexism and other discrimination all around us...it’s easy to feel dismay. But this old slogan of acting locally, with a wide global lens, speaks to me.
Globally, democracy is under threat from autocratic countries, oligarchies, corporatism, plain old greed and fear, and more. I’d say from the Republican Party too.
Locally we can lean into democracy by embracing our non-partisan redistricting, by keeping our politics a big tent of respectful different views, by nourishing civility and the rule of law, and by demanding our state and nation respect voting rights.
Globally, human-made climate change is barreling toward Earth’s nearly 8 billion residents, threatening future generations and damaging millions of lives today.
Locally we can commit to shifting earnestly toward a zero-carbon future, more sustainable patterns of living, investing in real change with local resources. (See Bloomington Climate Action Plan here)
Globally, we see too many societies refusing to see the human race as one people with shared worth and basic dignity, rejecting diversity and belonging. We see rampant tribalism, Us/Them thinking, fear-mongering and demonization.
Locally we can take practical steps to assure Bloomington is as inclusive and welcoming, as equitable and just, as we aim and claim to be – steps in affordable housing, in business opportunities, in public education, in health care – aligning our public investments with our values.
I’m an optimist. To be effective, a mayor has to come to work every day with hope and energy for positive change. I’m a realist too, and this decade of the 2020s is key for us in Bloomington, for our country, and our planet. We’ve made a great deal of progress locally on many of these issues but there is serious work ahead.
Even amid a pandemic, amid a terrifying lack of civility and common ground, and with mistrust abounding, I feel strongly that Bloomington can do much to chart our destiny. We can lead the way to a more sustainable and inclusive community and country. If we keep our wits about us, and make the right investments, we can pivot from a pandemic into a very bright future. And if other communities like ours do the same, we can save our democracy.
Don’t ever give up or give in. This is our country and our community. We are part of the great democratic experiment of America. Imperfect but idealistic. Flawed but fixable. Bloomington is a proud progressive city in a big, messy, patriotic march toward justice and peace. Please keep showing up. And caring. For yourself, for each other, and for Bloomington.
Democratically yours,
John
P.S. Mark your calendar for the evening of Thursday, February 24th for the 2022 State of the City event. We’ll review our progress and chart our future together. I don’t know if we’ll all be in person or not, but we’ll be together, somehow and always.