By Michael A. Tesner
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you … never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe
When I started my tenure as Genesee County Bar Association (GCBA) President, we had just entered our fourth month of pandemic and the GCBA offices had been recently flooded. The past year has kept us at a “social distance,” wearing masks, and “gathering” remotely. It has been a year of social upheaval as well, with public attention finally drawn to face systemic racism, an election season marred by political uncertainty and civil unrest, and the multitude of economic challenges, health concerns, and personal sacrifices and tragedies growing out of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
It has truly been a long, strange trip. But through it all, we have persevered, and there is hope for the future.
We adjusted to the conditions as best we could, and through great efforts of our GCBA staff, our Board of Directors, and our committee chairs, we have done quite well. Many of the committees continued to meet and we were able to hold certain events either by Zoom or in person. The GCBA Golf Scramble was held in September, with perfect weather and a large turnout. The Amy K. Harris Criminal Law Seminar was held remotely in November and December with the usual high-quality presenters. The Family Law Committee and the ADR Committee met regularly and presented informative and vital CLE and practice information to their members. The Bar Beat Committee, and the hard-working editorial staff, persevered through numerous challenges to continuously publish our association’s journal. And, thanks to Vice President Bill Brickley, we continued to hold our monthly membership meetings with outstanding speakers on pertinent topics and even a judicial candidate forum prior to the fall election. Over the past year we have continued to contribute to the community through our volunteer and charitable efforts. I am humbled by your generosity in support of the Holiday Community Giving Project and the Food Bank, as well as your volunteerism with the South Flint Soup Kitchen and efforts at Catholic Charities.
As of April, the GCBA offices have finally been restored. With vaccinations, the pandemic looks to be winding down to something manageable and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I see I am leaving the Presidency in the excellent hands of Bill Brickley, with a new executive board including incoming Vice-President Nancy Chinonis, Treasurer Craig Fiederlein, and Secretary Angela Wheeler. I have worked with all of these fine lawyers for several years now and have no doubt the future of the association is strong.
As a parting thought, after we have successfully weathered the storm of the pandemic, we all need to reassess past practices and priorities. We should not be complacent with doing things the way we always have in the past, but must consider if old ways and outlooks give us value and whether there is anything we can do differently to further our goals. This applies equally to us as individuals, in our practices, and in the organizations with which we associate.
As we move into our next chapter, please continue to support the GCBA not only with your time, talents and treasure, but with your ideas for a new era that embraces those aspects of our history we wish to carry forward, while moving in a way that is more diverse and inclusive, and better sees and serves all our members. If we are to continue to lead in the “new normal,” we must first honestly assess the ways in which we’ve fallen short of our goals and intentions as an organization, then set out boldly to be of better service to our clients, our fellow members, and our community. I look forward to continuing to work with each and every one of you as we find our way out of this period of prolonged darkness, and steer this storied organization toward its brightest possible future.
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