In his address to the Ulster County Legislature last Tuesday, February 18, chair Peter Criswell sandwiched seven broad areas where the county faced its most pressing challenges within an even broader context. “Economic instability, inflation and shifting policies at the national level will have direct impacts on our ability to serve our constituents,” Criswell said. Beyond the financial challenges, he identified “something deeper — a sense of fear and uncertainty that many in our community are experiencing.”
At the end of his speech, just before he expressed his hope that the legislators working together would “build a stronger, more resilient and more compassionate Ulster County,” Criswell presented his bottom-line prescription for the situation. “These are uncertain times, but uncertainty should not lead to fear,” he said. “It should lead to action.”
On March 4, 1933, Franklin Roosevelt gave his first presidential inauguration speech in the teeth of the Great Depression. It was made famous by the celebrated sentence. “The only thing we have to fear is,” he said, pausing a single beat before continuing, “fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror.”
Dealing with the distraught nation’s difficulties would not be easy, FDR warned. “Only a foolish optimist can deny the grim reality of the present.”
Roosevelt’s prescription was identical to Criswell’s of 92 years later: action.
Ulster County government’s chief executive Jen Metzger’s State of the County address at Ulster County Community College two days later contained nary a mention of fear, or for that matter of uncertainty. It included county accomplishments in the areas Criswell’s address had listed as pressing.
“We’re creating housing that people can afford,” said Metzger, “tackling mental-health and addiction challenges, investing in climate adaptation and a clean-energy economy, bolstering transportation infrastructure and service, and supporting our families, seniors, farmers, workers and local businesses.”
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