Warden Praises Residents, Frontline Workers in Annual Address
Warden Gary McNamara praised Windsor-Essex residents in his annual Warden’s Address Tuesday for supporting local businesses and making smart, selfless decisions to slow the spread of COVID-19.
He also commended County of Essex employees for their dedication and lauded frontline workers, including paramedics with Essex-Windsor EMS and staff at Sun Parlor Home, for everything they are doing to keep our community safe and ensure the continued delivery of essential services.
The 13th Annual Warden’s Luncheon was presented by the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce and held virtually using Zoom. Sponsors included the Libro Credit Union, Essex Power and the Windsor Port Authority.
“I’m thankful technology is bringing us together at a time when a terrible virus is keeping us apart,” said McNamara. “It’s important that we gather as a region, even electronically, to celebrate our successes and share our vision for the future.”
McNamara said the County of Essex was in a strong financial position, with no debt and a credit rating affirmed as AA+ with a stable outlook – the highest rating a County government can achieve. The County manages an investment portfolio of more than $112 million and more than $170 million in reserves, including what will be $20 million by the end of this year for a new hospitals system.
McNamara called Windsor-Essex “a model of collaboration and cooperation that is the envy of jurisdictions across the country” and said this “sense of unity and common purpose,” will allow Windsor-Essex to continue standing strong in the fight against COVID-19.
“We’ve been resourceful and resilient and creative and compassionate. The pandemic has brought out our best, not our worst. It has brought us together rather than split us apart,” said McNamara. “It has challenged us but not broken us and we know we’ll win in the end. Because that’s what we do in Windsor-Essex. We tough it out, we stick together, we never give in.”