Team Ellsworth,
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
I often feel as though municipal work trains us to notice external things that need fixing – streetlights that don’t work, sidewalks that are in need of repair, a process that needs modernizing, or a person that needs our help. Thanksgiving offers a different sort of noticing: the kind that calls us inward, toward the people and moments that carry us through the long year. Before we scatter to our tables and travels, I wanted to pause and share a few thoughts with you.
This year, when I sit down at the Thanksgiving table, I will be extending a special gratitude to our City Clerk teams and the staff and volunteers who stepped up during an extraordinarily stressful and unexpected recent election recount. Every week I have big plans for how the city’s week will unfold. And every week, I feel like my week has big plans for how it will unfold me. That couldn’t have been more true for those involved in the recount. None of them planned to put hundreds of additional hours into a high-stakes process that, if mishandled, could have cast doubt not just on this election, but on future ones and on the integrity of our city government as a whole.
But they delivered – professionally, transparently, and accurately. I dare say it was one of the best-run recounts in Maine history. I recently wrote a Medium article highlighting their work, in case you’re looking for something to read between football, turkey, pies, and a well-earned nap this weekend.
Municipal work is not glamorous, but it is deeply consequential. We are entrusted with an uncommon privilege: to keep a community upright and humming, to solve the modest and mighty problems that arrive each day. It is work that matters, and it is work you do with competence, grace, and more good humor than any city manager has a right to expect.
Lastly, and most personally, I will be giving thanks for my seven-year-old son, Teddy. This past year and a half in this job has asked a lot from my family, as it has for all of you who juggle these demanding municipal jobs with late-night meetings, unexpected emergencies, and the challenge of turning off “work brain” even when you’re home. Through all of that, my son has been a rock for me. He asks about my day when I get home, makes me laugh with stories about all the trouble he’s caused his sister, and even pitches in around the house.
Last night he called me on his new landline (which he thinks is the greatest invention since Pokémon) to ask if I’d be home to tuck him in. I told him unfortunately it would be another late night of work for me, but asked if he’d like to come to the office today since he doesn’t have school. He agreed even after I informed him that if he was coming to work, he’d have to work. This morning he recorded a promotional spot at Star 97.7 for the Christmas Tree Lighting and Parade on Saturday, December 6th. Maybe it’s just fatherly pride, but I think he nailed it – and did the City of Ellsworth teams proud.
This Thanksgiving, I feel so fortunate to have a strong seven-year-old support system who keeps me going when the days get tough. And I hope each of you has someone – or something – that does the same. If not and you’re having a rough day, just let me know the number you would like Teddy to call you from his landline. My guess is he’ll probably tell you a bad joke or give you a surprisingly detailed recap of his Lego battles to cheer you up like he does for me.
Wishing you all a warm, restful, joyful Thanksgiving. Thank you for everything you do.
With gratitude,
Charlie
