While this week has been rather blustery and rainy, next week we should be feeling spring-like warmth. We anticipate it will kick our “spring fever” emotions into high gear. Spring fever? That time of year, before summer arrives when you want to try something new, have fun, throw your responsibilities into the air. It is a holdover from our childhood, when the ending of the school year meant exactly that – no more responsibilities, we could embark on whatever adventure we wanted to. As adults we no longer have that luxury; well, at least many of us do not. We may still get the spring fever jolt, but it comes with adult parameters and responsibilities.
When we think of summer, it all begins with Memorial Day weekend and the Greenwich Town Party, affectionately known as simply “GTP.” If Memorial Day weekend is the official start of the summer, then GTP is the official first party of summer – and what a great one it is. Where else does our entire community come together in celebration? The organizers and founders, including Ray Dalio and Ray Rivers, have done an amazing job over the years of creating an exciting and fun event that has something to offer everyone.
Earlier this week our state legislature adjourned. It was an interesting session. The spring session is usually focused on the budget. The $24.2 billion budget just passed includes something we have not seen in a while, $600 million in tax cuts. These will come in the form of a car tax freeze, income tax cuts, extending the gasoline tax holiday and others. We applaud the legislature for this effort.
However, there was an element of the budget we are not pleased with. The budget includes $374 million for a controversial package of raises and bonuses for about 46,000 unionized state employees. This deal was negotiated between Governor Lamont and 35 bargaining units and guarantees raises for the current fiscal year and each of the next two. They could also continue for a fourth year if their contract was reopened early.
Why do these deals always seem to come during an election year? A real sign of leadership, a profile in courage even, would be if the legislature took a new approach to budgeting. They should negotiate and pass a two-year budget in a non-election year. The legislature could do an adjustment the following year, but only based on economic conditions. There would be no re-opening union contracts during an election year. Maybe the unions would lose some bite in holding their benefits hostage for their votes.
Closer to home, we love our police department. This Saturday is Police Day. They will have an Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their headquarters on Bruce Place. This is a great opportunity for the entire family, and especially our younger children, to meet the officers of the Greenwich Police Department and learn more about all the services they provide. They will have a bouncy house, provide child car seat installations, offer building tours and more. We hope to see you there.
Hopefully the coming week will feel more like spring than fall. For many, spring is a season of transition as the school year begins to wrap up. Many will be transitioning from middle school to high school, to college, to the “real” world. Those transitions can be tough on both the student and the parent. Some will be returning, reluctantly, to their childhood bedrooms. Be patient. Stress has a way of passing quickly if we let it. Remember to celebrate the accomplishment that just occurred before fretting about the next steps. We sometime have a way of racing to the next “thing.” Enjoy the spring fever and then the summer, with the appropriate boundaries and responsibilities.
