Annus Horribilis!

Looking back where we were 12 months ago, we would have been hard pressed to predict what the coming year would bring. In the March 27, 2020 Sentinel, we were talking about “flattening the curve” for two weeks and social distancing. That two-week effort would continue for many more months.

A lot has changed over the last year. Working remotely. Social distancing. Wearing masks everywhere. Not being able to attend our traditional community events. And worse – many have lost loved ones and friends. It has been an “annus horribilis.”

Only now are we truly beginning to see signs of the COVID lockdown ending. Numbers of infections and deaths are SLOWLY declining. That does not mean we should let down our guard. We must still be diligent until COVID is firmly under control. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel rather than a train headed directly for us.

With Governor Lamont lifting social distancing restrictions we are beginning to see a semblance of life returning to something like it was before. This week the leadership of this year’s Greenwich Town Party announced a tentative date of early September, assuming state and local guidelines will allow. It will be fun to gather once again with friends and neighbors to listen to live music.

Throughout the past year there have been many heroes throughout our community. Those that purchased and donated PPE to our first responders. The many people who generously donated food and resources to Neighbor to Neighbor. These, and so many others, deserve our thanks and praise.

However, we would like to single out several individuals for the remarkable job they have been doing during this unprecedented time. The first is our First Selectman Fred Camillo. While we may not agree with his positions all the time (nor he ours), we are the first to compliment him on his first term when he literally did not know what the next day would bring. He has exhibited a calm, reassuring, and balanced leadership that has guided our community well.

Police Chief James Heavey, and by extension our entire police department, deserves recognition. In a year that saw our police department under attack because of the Police Accountability Act, he and his officers have maintained a professionalism that is the envy of the state. After a demonstration last year at police headquarters, where demonstrators were swearing at officers and calling them vile names, what did the officers do? They bought the demonstrators pizza and ate with them.

Diane Kelly become President of Greenwich Hospital in June of last year – at the height of the pandemic. We can think of no more challenging transition at a time when our hospital has been literally ground zero in fighting COVID. Like the police department every person working at the hospital deserves our respect and praise. However, for an organization to perform at its peak ability during a crisis takes leadership. Ms. Kelly has shown that since joining the hospital in 2018 as chief operating officer and now as president.

Joseph McHugh was sworn in as Fire Chief this past summer. Joining us from the New York Fire Department, he began his career as a member of our own Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department. He too, very quickly, has demonstrated transformative leadership of an organization that does so much to protect our life and property.

Lastly, we would be remiss if we did not recognize the leadership of Tracy Schietinger, executive director of GEMS, our ambulance service. Throughout the pandemic GEMS has been transporting people to hospitals in Greenwich and Stamford. While we’ve been told to social distance, they’ve been unable to do so. When they go on a call, they do not know if the person they are treating has COVID or not. Tracy and her staff are heroes.

These may be five individuals, but they represent hundreds who have been on the frontlines every day since the pandemic started. We thank them for their service, professionalism, and dedication to our community.

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