The importance of saying thank you can become lost in our hectic day to day scramble. We
are all trying to process daily the information we read about: global conflicts, fragile
financial markets, tariffs up or down, political antics near and far and the concerns
over local issues that may affect us.
What we don’t often see is the hard work, commitment and sacrifice of those who are “in
the trenches” making sure the job gets done. Our village workers, who mostly go about
their day doing the things that need to get done, work in hope of providing the stability of
utility services for electric, light and water, safe streets and sidewalks to travel upon, clean
parks, marinas and beaches to enjoy and helpful assistance in a sometimes very turbulent
place.
I applaud the idea of saying thank you to those who often do not hear it. I support
recognizing, not the ones in front of the cameras, but those who do the actual work – our
Greenport Village workers and staff. If we are to remain a place that we are proud of and
hope to improve upon, we must never forget to recognize the work they do, day in and day
out.
The idea, born by Colin Ratsey, of making sure we do something to show that in a time
when morale could be low and the job seems tougher because of all the drama around us –
we should be clear and say, “THANK YOU” to our unsung heroes who make our village
work.
So I commend the Greenport Business Improvement District for organizing May 21st as
Greenport Village Worker Appreciation Day. Starting with a complimentary lunch at the
FireHouse and followed by a very casual pizza party (courtesy of 1943) and complimentary
drinks at Greenport Brewery at 5pm. It is a great idea and I thank the BID in trying to help
find positivity and celebrate the good in a climate of heightened stress, uncertainty and
dysfunction as we head into another busy summer season.
So next time you see that village worker actually doing the work in our streets or in village
hall – be sure to let them know you appreciate all they do for us.
Richard Vandenburgh, Greenport BID