Mayor Newhard: A Winter’s Tale

  Texas is not used to winter weather and low temperatures but combined with lack of electricity, natural gas and water, the emergency situation has quickly escalated.  We have watched the disaster unfold; when so much goes wrong simultaneously, it is hard to fathom the suffering that so many Texans have been facing. In this time of need, neighbors have answered the call to help each other get through this crisis. There is news of power restoration and hopefully some lasting lessons will be learned from this catastrophe. In the chilly Northeast we’ve stopped counting winter storms. February is always a tough month but as I look at the forecast of the days ahead there is relief and temperatures climb. 

  Of course, it isn’t over. If anything, this year has taught us patience and clearly there is a beginning, middle, and end to all things but when you are in the midst of distress the clock seems mercilessly slow and maybe the middle or end lingers a bit too long. We’re all looking for relief whether in the form of basic heat, electricity, and water as in Texas or the hope of getting vaccinated; that schools will completely reopen or you can enjoy the company of friends or resume social activity without dread. We have truly learned much about our coping skills as a community and as a country. We have also learned how we react in times of crisis whether our own, friends or an acquaintance. 

  Our good neighbors, Bob Maxwell and Tim Mulally, who own Style Counsel on Main Street in our Village just lost their home to a devastating fire. Luckily, their family is all ok. There has been an immediate outpouring of generosity by the community and if you would like to be part of the effort to help, please go to the GoFundMe website https://www.gofundme.com/ and search Tim Mullally & Family Fire Relief Fund or by entering https://gofund.me/abf57ebc. 

  Bob and Tim have been an important part of our community, not only as a business for almost 30 years, but as creative and inspiring citizens – they would give you the shirt or chemise off their back! They have played a meaningful part in what attracts people here and why they return. They have been part of a new face of business leadership and have kept our Main Street alive, vibrant, even through the most difficult of economies. Gentlemen, I now apologize for embarrassing you completely but your love and friendship to Warwick has been an exceptional part of your character and what we are.

  The “Winter Tale” here is simple and a recurrent theme. It’s a tale of human difficulty in a fragile world, it is finding relief in each other and how we work through it and find ourselves.

  “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” “Nature Boy” by Eden Abhaz, immortalized by Nat King Cole.

   The next Village Board meeting will take place on Mon., Mar. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and will be held through Zoom video conference and may be viewed live by the public on the Village’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VillageofWarwick.