Forward Focus

Part of what makes a city great in my opinion is the constant motion (or the always present “hustle and bustle” of a city). There is always something going on. In a community, as in a business or in life, I believe that many things can happen at once. So when I hear the comment that we as a city cannot move forward until the issues are resolved, I simply disagree. We cannot miss opportunities because we are blinded by that “one thing” that needs to be resolved. READ MORE

I believe that we can work on solving the ongoing issues of addiction and homelessness while working on the continued development of our city so that it is an even better place for all. (As a city, we need to be able to do both. Yes, we have issues, but we also have opportunities that should not be overlooked or ignored because we are too focused on solving issues. (Of course, I say this as an optimist). READ MORE

In honor of the new year, I was going to lay out some things that are done in other cities that may work here, (adapting ideas is a good thing in my opinion). But in light of the recent deaths of two homeless people, I switched gears and am going to write about an issue that is unfortunately as common in Manchester as the day is long.  READ MORE

I agree that Christmas can be very commercial – and I am not a fan of retailers opening on Thanksgiving or wicked early on “Black Friday” (like 3 a.m. or some time like that) – though I haven’t seen much of that with the current staffing shortages. But there are many aspects of Christmas that are not commercial, such as family time and traditions.   READ MORE

There will always be division. In fact, our political system was set up to be adversarial, but being adversarial while still showing respect for those who disagreed with you used to be the norm (one great example that I often talk about is the relationship between President Ronald Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill). This is not the case today. READ MORE

These individuals are the homeless youth in our city. Homeless youth often attend school, hold jobs, and go about their lives without people knowing that they are homeless.  READ MORE

I want to focus on some of the good things that have come from the growth of our city, because I understand that city living is a balance of the good and the bad and because I’m confident that good will overtake the bad.  READ MORE

One thing that prevents people from getting involved is that they don’t know where to go. So I have listed a few organizations that are involved with the major issues of our city. This list is a good starting point for people to get involved.  READ MORE