ESCONDIDO MAYOR PRAISES CITY’S RESILIENCY, ENDURANCE
Some initiatives moved forward despite pandemic
Mayor Paul McNamara offered condolences to those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 over the past year and praised the responses of residents and city workers to the pandemic during his annual State of the City address before Wednesday night’s
City Council meeting.
The impacts of the pandemic, and how the city dealt with them, were a major theme of McNamara’s presentation, which included a short video detailing some of the city’s efforts as well as testimonials from business owners, regarding how the city helped them stay afloat during and after government-mandated shutdowns.
The city’s efforts included using technology to provide services online when in-person visits to city offices were prohibited. The city also moved quickly to institute special rules that allowed businesses, including restaurants, salons and fitness centers, to move operations outdoors last spring and summer. The city also doled out $1 million in federal grant money to assist local businesses.
“It is no secret that many have suffered this past year — physically, emotionally and financially.” McNamara said. “However, there is a silver lining. Our residents and our city have fought back and not laid down. We have demonstrated innovation, the power of community, and a spirit that I think makes Escondido the place we all love to live in. If this crisis were a test, I think we would have passed it with flying colors.”
McNamara also described several city initiatives that are moving forward despite the pandemic, although at a slower pace.
Among them are boosting the city’s agriculture industry, future uses for Mountain View Park — including a possible agriculture museum in a city building adjacent to the park — luring the UC system or other researchers to study Ag Tech in Escondido, dealing with homelessness, providing additional housing and recruiting new businesses to the city.
While McNamara did not go into detail about the various initiatives, he said, “I thought it was important that our residents were aware that despite the doors being closed there was a lot of activity in (the works). We will survive this pandemic. Our future is bright and we are fortunate to live in Escondido.”