2021 has been a very tough year for many. Similar to 2020, it was full of ups and downs, and I guess that the “new normal” that everyone is talking about is real and here to stay. We’re still dealing with COVID, still wearing masks and looking warily at others in an effort to ward off the disease and its effects. It’s a little like how the world changed after September 11, 2001, when airports and travel - both international and domestic - have been different and persistently difficult.
On the political front, Biden entered the Presidency in January after an interesting event at the White House. I wrote about that in January, so I won’t rehash it here. Hash is the operative word. Usually an incoming President has a honeymoon period with the public, where he can enjoy some good will and get some things done. This has not been the case with Mr. Biden... His approval rating numbers have steadily gotten worse amidst increasing inflation and continued fallout from the global pandemic. Then he decided to pull out of Afghanistan, leaving our friends over there to fall quickly and decisively into the hands of the Taliban... So not good... It’s a little like getting up on Christmas morning only to find out that the people you live with are very sick and thus you can’t go visit family or friends... Oh, wait. That happened. Weirdest. Christmas. Ever. Diana’s mom Margo sat alone in her room all day and was just miserable. The rest of the country feels the same way.
Closer to home, Utah has suffered the worst drought in several decades, although that looks like it’s going to ease a bit this winter - we’ve exceeded our regular snowpack for the year and we’re just starting January, which is our snowiest/wettest month. So here’s hoping! This week is looking like we’ll get more rain and snow, so the trend is looking up.
Even closer to home than that, Diana and I were sealed in the Ogden Temple on August 25, 2021. It was the second birthday of our son Benjamin Leo, and we almost didn’t make it. There were so many weird and unusual roadblocks, and there were several times when we thought we ought to postpone or cancel the thing altogether. Diana is so patient and persistent, though, and honestly the thought that I might have to spend eternity without her motivated us to get it done. It’s a good thing we did, because on August 30, 2021 Diana’s dad Jack died. We did push through to get it done in part because the Temple was going to be closed for renovations starting in September, and of course we had no idea that it would be the last time we would spend any meaningful time with Jack. I miss him - I wish I had had more time with him.
On September 9th, I got a phone call from Steve Brooks, the Riverdale City Attorney. He said that I was being placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations of policy code violations for nepotism. It turns out that the policy manual - which of course I had read and understood - was being used against me because Sam, Diana’s brother, was already employed by the City in the recreation department as a part-time recreation specialist. To say I was shocked is an understatement, but as I had done nothing wrong or unethical, I wasn’t really worried. I was sure that common sense and justice would prevail and if people had concerns they would ask me about them. I underestimated the Council’s submission to Mr. Brooks, who had been passed over for consideration for the City Administrator position, which obviously still rankled him. Mr. Brooks - who had waited until the Mayor was sick and in the hospital to begin this “investigation” - called the City Council into a closed meeting (which I was not apprised of, in spite of Mr. Brooks’ assurance that I would be, and was not invited to...) after which time they asked for my resignation. They offered me 6 weeks of severance pay and some other incentives. I was made aware of this the morning of September 16th, scarcely one week after I had been made aware of the allegations. I was never given a chance to meet with the Council to discuss the allegations. I was never given the chance to discuss alternative outcomes. Because of that, I will never really be sure how things went down behind closed doors, but it seems to me that the Council was told that they really had no choice in the matter but to terminate my employment. I did not officially resign, and on October 5th, the City Council met and voted to terminate my contract with the City. The Mayor, who may have advocated for me if he had been well, was still in the hospital. I have been out of work since then.
It’s been a very difficult few months. I am grateful for my sweet, kind, and forbearing wife who is just as shocked by this turn of events as me. I am dismayed by how it all went down, how quickly and dark the whole proceeding took place, and how while I had always hoped justice and common sense would ultimately prevail, I have learned that this is not always the case. Sometimes evil does prevail. I am also finding it interesting to note just how much of my self-worth is tied up in my work/profession, and my ability to provide for my family. While we have been OK due to careful budgeting and conservative spending practices, this persistent lack of income and work has had its toll on my spirit and psyche. We’ve kept busy with things around the house and things, but I am hurting.
So for this and other reasons, I’m glad 2021 is over. It’s been a tough year, full of lots of surprises and challenges, some very good things, and others that have just had me reeling... I am hopeful that 2022 will be better. Diana and I have resolved to do better at reaching out to our neighbors and friends and family and looking - actively - for ways to serve and connect and love.
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