Around the world, we are still suffering from the global effects of COVID-19 on our health, adding not only to the energy of businesses, but also to the well-being of healthcare professionals, patients, families, educators, among others. other. In 2021, everyone has returned to painting, but leaving home and avoiding human interaction has created a new ethic of painting and functionality.
One student I interviewed for the youth council put it well: Everyone returned to the building, but no one was intellectually prepared for the intellectual fallout from COVID-19. The eighth-graders returned to high school in the current grade and looked forward to playing. in degree at the moment while surfing intellectually as freshmen. Their expectations were unrealistic as they did not have the opportunity to grow as freshmen, yet they were expected to return as “normal” students when many had also suffered losses in their own families.
Although physical survival is apparent, intellectual survival is not. There were even honors scholars who failed in elegance due to a lack of direct interaction with academics and teachers, socialization through sports, clubs, extracurricular occasions, and more. Students discussed anxious lifestyles due to the unpredictability of virtual schooling versus the coherence of physical presence that is not recognized.
As elected officials, we were no different. In our first year on the job, we were expected to go about our business as usual, even if we were in the midst of a global pandemic. City ordinances and state regulations have been modified to comply with the wishes of rules issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This was done to make sure our citizens can get through the pandemic and our city continues to move forward. The first and third Wednesday of each month continued to be reserved for the presentation of agreements and ordinances, while the sessions of the council continued to be held on Tuesdays for the moment and quarter of the month.
As newly elected officials, we have been tasked with maintaining momentum for the community. While the executive orders facilitated the procedure by allowing responsibilities to be virtually terminated, the mandatory physical human interaction component for building relationships was not included. Conferences, painting workshops, meetings and the like, all tactics to be informed and bond with others, were not an option in the first year and a half. As a result, the lack of communication, adding framed language, breathing, and facial expressions, has affected our innate ability to frame correct relationships. Instead of encouraging us to stick to it, returning to paintings has left us with a false sense of autonomy that makes inclusion difficult when it comes to those in our communities expressing their needs.
We want to paint together, using our myriad backgrounds and experiences, in South Bend. After all, this is our community. However, the South Benders can’t participate if they don’t know how their government works. As City Clerk, I see the importance of keeping the South Benders informed while ensuring government processes are transparent.
I continue to look for media outlets that inform the public about the ordinances and resolutions that are brought through the management and the legislature. Recognizing the communication deficit produced by the lack of a true human connection just two years into the fight against a pandemic, we will have to try to rebuild the sense of network necessary to move our city forward by incorporating everyone. The three-tier municipal governance formula was designed to take some responsibility and teach and empower the public to make decisions. The specific roles of the local legislature and government are in position to identify and respond to the wishes of the South Benders. My role is to take care of legislative and executive activity and to ensure that the proceedings are public.
I was tasked with doing the same task I have done as a city clerk with fewer resources and less manpower as my budget and staff were cut. However, the paintings are still made with all the bells and whistles set forth in the Indiana Code.
I need to reassure the public that I remain committed to connecting our citizens through communication strategies, making sure everyone has equivalent access to get data and contribute. Together, we can remodel South Bend into a glorious position to live in. Together we can. Together, we will.
Dawn Jones is South Bend’s city clerk.