Byline: Brian Chicoine

Manchester is distinct in many ways, and it’s that distinctiveness that makes it special. It is my hope that the company selected to develop branding for our city, (North Star Place Branding of Jacksonville, FL), does it justice by not only holding community-wide events, such as the one recently held at the Rex Theatre, but that they actually go into the various neighborhoods to experience our distinctiveness for themselves.

Lately, I have known a few people who have had to utilize the “social safety net” because of sudden job loss or other situations where the ability to afford basic necessities for their families became a major struggle. (It doesn’t help that the cost of living has increased across the board).

I love living in the city because there is always so much to do. And living in the north makes this time of year through the fall an especially great time for us to come out and celebrate at the many events in our city. 

Last week I was reading about how a former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, is running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. Within the article were the words “long shot.” So I started thinking about why he was labeled as a long shot. Shouldn’t he have as good of a chance as any to become president of these United States?

Part of what makes a city great in my opinion is the constant motion (or the always present “hustle and bustle” of a city). There is always something going on. In a community, as in a business or in life, I believe that many things can happen at once. So when I hear the comment that we as a city cannot move forward until the issues are resolved, I simply disagree. We cannot miss opportunities because we are blinded by that “one thing” that needs to be resolved.

I believe that we can work on solving the ongoing issues of addiction and homelessness while working on the continued development of our city so that it is an even better place for all. (As a city, we need to be able to do both. Yes, we have issues, but we also have opportunities that should not be overlooked or ignored because we are too focused on solving issues. (Of course, I say this as an optimist).

I agree that Christmas can be very commercial – and I am not a fan of retailers opening on Thanksgiving or wicked early on “Black Friday” (like 3 a.m. or some time like that) – though I haven’t seen much of that with the current staffing shortages. But there are many aspects of Christmas that are not commercial, such as family time and traditions.