A Message from Mayor Stimpson - December 15
Dec 15th, 2020
Good evening,
It is 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, and I am writing to give you an update from the City of Mobile.
Today, the Mobile County Health Department reports 22,602 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 197 cases. To review MCHD's detailed report, click here.
As a reminder, The City of Mobile’s recycling drop-off centers have changed operating hours beginning this week. As of today, the recycling drop-off centers at 4851 Museum Drive and 310 Pinehill Drive will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Today was an important day for our community. This morning USA Health began distributing the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer to its employees. At a press conference at University Hospital, nurse manager Kimberly Tucker became the first person in our area to receive the vaccine, which was developed at an extraordinary pace to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
All together, three hospitals in our area received or will receive thousands of doses of the vaccine during this first wave of distribution. We have seen these facilities step up to organize this logistically challenging effort, and I have the utmost confidence in their ability to manage this task. While we still have to remain vigilant to reduce the spread of COVID-19, this is truly a bright day for all of us.
This afternoon, the City of Mobile was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This recognition stems from the comprehensive financial report our finance team submitted to GFOA for fiscal year 2019 and represents the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. According to GFOA, our finance team demonstrated a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" and clearly and transparently communicated the City’s financial story.
The financial story has not always been a pleasant one in the City of Mobile, but under my administration and through the leadership of our current finance team, we are on a much stronger financial footing today. Even under the unprecedented strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to give City employees raises in a year when many municipalities are facing furloughs and staff reductions.
As I started my day this morning, I did some reading in the book Micah. In Chapter 3, Micah reminds us that leaders who fail to practice servant leadership, inevitably become self-serving. Without a compelling cause to better mankind, most leaders find a cause to serve their own interests.
One of the things I’ve always been astonished by is the number of people in this community who are willing to serve. Regardless of their calling or station in life, there are Mobilians who are willing to take up our shared cause of making Mobile a better place to call home. I believe we all benefit when our community is focused on serving others, rather than ourselves.
Sleep tight,