Vernon Officials: Local Government Took On 'Larger Role' In 2020

VERNON, CT — In an open letter to the community, Vernon officials reflected on the "larger role" local government took on in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is the text of the letter:

This has been a year unlike any other. It has presented us and our community with challenges that were hard to imagine and affected everyone in some way. As the year draws to a close, it is natural to think back on what we have experienced and ask, how will we remember 2020?

It is in difficult times that government, especially local government, takes on a larger role in people’s lives. Our residents expect leadership and look for guidance and, sometimes, for help. The Town of Vernon, its employees and volunteers have a long and proud history of providing that leadership and help.

In 1918, the Spanish Flu pandemic swept across the world and hit Vernon like a hurricane. Hundreds of people fell ill and town leaders transformed Rockville High School and Talcott Park into makeshift hospitals. Town residents served as assistants, orderlies, and cooks. A mill owner brought in doctors and nurses from out of town to relieve the weary local practitioners. Then, like today, Vernon town employees, residents and businesses worked together to meet the needs of our community.

More recently, when monstrous snow storms devastated the state in 2011, the Vernon community again came together and responded selflessly. With the American Red Cross and our local C.E.R.T. team, the Town opened a shelter that served hundreds of people from throughout the region. Vernon’s first responders heroically handled hundreds of calls for help and the Town joined forces with the Connecticut National Guard to remove snow from rooftops, effectively preventing catastrophic property losses.

We can be proud of how we, like those who came before us, responded to the challenges our community has faced during the coronavirus pandemic. We have worked tirelessly to keep our residents safe and have remained focused on serving our community as creatively and efficiently as possible.

The Town of Vernon never shut down and employees found new and innovative ways to provide essential government services. In the midst of the pandemic, we respected the role our residents play in determining how the government spends their hard-earned tax dollars by providing a historic drive-thru vote on our Town budget. We reimagined Winterfest and created a very special and safe event that brought joy to our community.

The challenges we face will continue into the New Year, but there is reason to hope for a better 2021. Here is to ensuring Vernon remains a vibrant, healthy, and resilient community.

I hope that we remember 2020 as the year neighbors helped neighbors, people worked side-by-side for the common good, and the employees and volunteers of the Town of Vernon, like they always have, worked diligently to serve our residents.

On behalf of Mayor Champagne, the Town Council, and Administration, we thank you and we wish you and your families a very happy and healthy New Year.