Mayor Gondola, wearing a navy blue pinstriped suit with a white shirt and red tie, addressed Cinniapolis City Council and Cinniapolis residents for nearly an hour to share the state of Cinniapolis. Covering a wide range of topics, Mayor Gondola affirmed the state of Cinniapolis is strong. However, he noted areas that could use strengthening.

Mayor Gondola spent the first half of his address touting accomplishments over the past year. He focused on the government’s successful negotiations with last year’s activists whom demanded the city stay open after an attempt by government to re-institute enforced social restrictions to combat a rise in virus infections. He touted businesses that survived and thrived during the pandemic. He specifically lauded the achievements of Cinniapolis Prairie racetrack navigating the enforced closure and coming out of it safer for fans and staff. Mayor Gondola also highlighted the track’s proper use of government loan money to keep staff on the payroll and maintain the track facilities. He did not mention his brother, Buck Gondola, received the largest sum of loan money compared to other local businesses.

From there, Mayor Gondola pivoted to a thriving business, Saturday Gardens. He praised the company owner, Debut Saturday, as a driving force of innovation. He mentioned the importance of being able to adjust to the times while not being weighed down by change. Mr. Saturday decided to share his secret gardening formula with the community to keep his business profitable when his garden center was forced to close during the pandemic. He is the reason you might notice rooftop gardens dotting neighborhoods all over Cinniapolis.

The second half of Mayor Gondola’s address stayed focused on the ability of communities and its residents to adapt to changing times. He expressed confidence in Cinniapolis to make adjustments for the betterment of the city and humanity. He stressed the positive effects the Cinniapolis Safety Department has had in its short existence. He acknowledged the 11% rise in reported crimes over the past year but his confidence in CSD CEO Rhonda Dixon is unwavering. The CSD is forecasting a sharp drop in crime next year with businesses re-opening and hiring their staff back, in addition to new businesses opening and hiring staff. Ms. Dixon suggested a return of reliable regular income will deter fringe criminals from committing petty thefts. Neither the mayor nor Ms. Dixon mentioned the newly publicized partnership with the Holy Sheriff Legion.

After complimenting his newly formed CSD, the Mayor veered into controversial territory when speaking of Cinniapolis climate changes. His administration commissioned several studies this past year to research the effect the virus shelter-in-place orders had on Cinniapolis climate. The findings were perhaps as predictable as they were biased. The first study profiled concluded that the decreased amount of traffic released less emissions into the air, thus making Cinniapolis air more breathable. The second study showed that the temporary closure of factories greatly reduced the pollution being released into the atmosphere. Then, when factories re-opened, the pollution increased causing an unstable climate. The studies conclusions are somewhat predictable. But, the Chorus chose to categorize them as biased based on Mayor Gondola’s proposed agenda for the upcoming year.

The Mayor followed up his summary of the studies findings with an agenda that has the potential to change Cinniapolis forever. His administration is proposing a ban on personal gas-powered automobiles to take effect in one year. He championed public transportation, like Cinnibus and Solstice Rail, as alternative methods of travel. He also promised his administration would offer significant rebates on the purchase of electric automobiles to help reduce emissions. Mayor Gondola then addressed the recent rumors regarding a red meat ban. He dismissed the rumor about a ban but signaled that his administration would impose regulations on production and factory hours to reduce the amount of emissions. He also proposed imposing restrictions on farms herd sizes to help lower emissions being released into the atmosphere. The final portion of Mayor Gondola’s agenda addressed Cinniapolis residents directly. He asked them for personal sacrifice to stabilize the climate. He said the administration is reviewing further studies to gauge the impact of rolling power outages on communities and the climate. He confirmed unless the studies prove otherwise, then the administration plans to enforce rolling power outages to reduce the power and frequency of severe weather.

This year’s state of the city covered a wide range of topics from business to crime to community. But the major point will be Mayor Gondola’s quest to curb climate change. Cinniapolis is a city that has experienced more frequent extreme weather events over the past decade. However, if it becomes a city that removes traditional personal freedoms, such as owning a gasoline car or turning a light on whenever one pleases, the Chorus can only wonder what type of extreme events will occur in response to these restrictive government enforced policies. If recent history is any indicator, residents will resist these changes just as they did when the virus restrictions were re-introduced. Cinniapolis avoided a large scale confrontation at that time. But, just because the water didn’t boil over the pot then doesn’t mean the water stopped boiling.