I am sitting here on this windy and terribly cold Monday morning anticipating the City Council meeting that takes place tonight. By the time this is published, a decision will have been made and it will probably be big front page news. Either way, it is a new chapter in this Chamber. I am not overly concerned by whatever the outcome will be. The Chamber’s board and I are committed to moving this entity forward towards stability and growth.
I am also aware that the vote tonight will be three days before my one-year anniversary in this seat. And as I look back, there is a lot to be thankful for how things went in the first 52 weeks of my employ here. And I totally believe in the meaning of this holiday week that was set aside so long ago as a time to give thanks and count the blessings of the past year.
First of all, I give thanks for my board. Laurie, Lisa, Kim, Peggy, Jim, Cathy, Deb, Spenser, Norma and Jon have been more than patient with some of my stumblings and bumblings as I tried to wrestle this job with little blueprints, experience or training. I am also thankful that in these recent tumultuous times, they have amped up their energy and their commitment to the Chamber. I am also very thankful to the help and kindness shown by Jenny Coon over the past year.
I am thankful for Austin, Tony, all the department heads and employees of this city. It was an honor to be a part of your team. I have been amazed at how well you all work together, work efficiently and make sacrifices when there are very few who appreciate the jobs you do every day. Thursdays on Sweden was just one triumph of that teamwork and desire to enrich this community.
I appreciate most of all the members of this Chamber. They have seen it all and have watched at times with bewilderment with the ups and downs of our recent history. As I talked to them all year, the number one thing they care about is this community. Many have stuck it out through tough times when they could have gone elsewhere. All they want is a city that feels like their partner and not their adversary. “I want to be here,” is a theme I heard over and over this past year.
Those members have continued to support the Chamber despite feeling at times that the bang for the buck has not been there on a consistent basis. This concern was one of the first things I heard and I still hear it to a degree. These members already pay a large portion of this city’s taxes and want someone in their corner fighting for and supporting them.
I am thankful that many members have often been complimentary to the baby steps in the right direction over the past 12 months. They deserve the very best from this Chamber and a Chamber that appreciates and values their investment. This is the thought behind each day I unlock the doors and hit the road. The growth in membership shows that we are on the right track.
I appreciate and am thankful for the citizens of this community. Many have said nice things about where the Chamber is going. Many have appreciated the hopeful message being presented. All the people of this community long for better times with good jobs. Hope in any avenue is grasped with earnest.
It is important that this community’s leaders give them hope and work toward steady growth and improvement in our business culture. Part of that process is revisiting the many ordinances and procedures that can act as stumbling blocks to business vitality. Caribou has new signs stating that this is a business friendly community. That will only be true if we make it less cumbersome for those businesses. I am thankful that the Planning Board and Tony Mazzucco will be tackling those very issues in the coming year.
I am thankful for this office. I love this place. Any community’s Chamber office should be in a heritage building and you cannot get much more heritage than the Nylander Museum. While I wish there were funds to operate it fully and to spruce the place up a bit, at least the Chamber having its office here can keep the place open to the public and there were quite a few visitors over the summer who did just that and would not have been able to if we had not been here.
One area of this job that (if I am honest) I was terrified about was the many activities in the area that this Chamber either sponsors or provides teamwork with other entities like the city and the Parks & Red Department. I am thankful that we got through each one of them and despite my clumsy (at times) handling of them, they all went off beautifully.
I am very thankful we had a smashing success with the Fall Arts and Crafts Festival, great success with the City-Wide Yard Sale and the HOG Rally was a big hit. The Thursdays on Sweden were wonderful and O.P. Pierson Days were great fun. As I look back on the year, the smiles on family faces and the screams of delight when old friends and acquaintances met on the street were worth every single second of effort.
My first year on the job cannot be classified as a smashing success. There were growing pains and stumbling blocks. But if this is the worst year I have as my tenure hopefully continues for a long time, then there is great hope moving forward. Thank you all for making this such a wonderful way to earn a living.
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or e-mail him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
