March 2020

Thank you for allowing me into your living rooms and places of business this evening. Out of an abundance of concern and respect to the guidelines provided by the offices of the President of the United States, Governor of Missouri, as well as Clay & Ray County Public Health Departments, I am hosting tonight’s update via Facebook. Thank you to Anita Duncan and the Lawson Review for hosting this live event as well as Pastor Zach Searcy whose technical expertise is allowing me into your homes and businesses this evening. Tonight, my plans were to provide you with insights surrounding what we have accomplished together in my first two terms as your Mayor and ask for your support for a third term with your vote on June 2nd, which, by the way is the updated new election date as of today. However, tonight is not about politics, it is about the ongoing pain and anxiety that we are all feeling due to COVID-19. This has, without question, upended what we all felt to be as our normalcy in life.

I come to you as a concerned neighbor, parent, and friend. What we are going through in this country is unprecedented. I personally have never lived through something that is as widespread as what the impact has brought to all of us with the Corona Virus. This has brought significant anxiety to you and your families and has disrupted what we believed to be our normal life. All of us are asking ourselves, how long can this go on? This will all be dependent on our community as well as all communities across the United States to follow direction provided by the CDC, Federal, State, County, and local officials to bring the spread of the Corona Virus to a halt. This past Tuesday March 24th at 12:01 AM, the Clay County Health Department executed “Shelter in Place” also known as Stay-At-Home. Ray County has also issued their order which went into effect Wednesday, March 25th at 12:01 AM. Both orders are for a 30-day period with updates to come in the following weeks. So, many of you may have questions as to what specifically does this mean for me and my family? In simplistic terms it means no one should be doing business as usual. Secondly, individuals may leave their residences or place of rest to perform “Essential Activities” as defined infra. I would encourage you to visit the Lawson web site for complete details from the CDC, Missouri, and county  information surrounding COVID-19 as well as the rules and guidelines surrounding Shelter in Place also known as Stay-At-Home.

I realize this is a challenge for many of us as we are used to being on the go and living an instantaneous style of life. However, we must all realize for the greater good of society that following the recommendations and guidelines will bring resolution to this virus and allow all of us to get back to a sense of normalcy in our lives. My heart goes out to all seniors in both high school and college who were in the middle of their final semesters and all activities that would normally take place to include graduation and sharing accomplishments with family and friends. As well as all spring activities from prom, baseball, track, and golf to name a few.

As your Mayor, I am sincerely concerned about your livelihood and wellbeing and for those that the virus has disrupted your pay and the ability to provide food and supplies for yourself and your families. I realize the federal government is working on stimulus packages to help those who have been displaced and lost your jobs both short and possibly long term. This hopefully includes a stimulus package for small business owners, which Lawson has many. I understand that many of you, including our senior citizens may be challenged with getting your grocery and health care needs due to the supply chain and our local outlets being limited on supply when your needs arise. My heart again goes out to all of you.

Last week there was a group of local business leaders who gathered with our local Lawson Food Pantry to understand their operations and how we “Lawson” can help our own. What came out of this meeting is the following information.

• Currently the Lawson Food Pantry is open every other Tuesday.
• Please contact the Lawson Food Pantry at 816-551-7566 for more information surrounding donation drop-offs as well as additional pick-up dates and times. You can also visit them on their Facebook page.
• The following list of items are encouraged but all other goods accepted. The only requirement for receiving this support is that you live within the Lawson School District.

Items needed for DONATIONS are:

In addition to the physical items in need that I have listed and can be found on the Lawson Review’s Facebook page as well as on the city of Lawson’s web page, I would like to challenge our community to ban together and help our own.

Tonight, I am reaching out to you with a personal challenge for help. I am confident the community will help the Lawson Food Pantry with their requested needs. The Lawson Food Pantry also works with local organizations to buy additional items. With this said, they do take financial donations. Tonight, as my heart goes out to the city of Lawson, on behalf of your Mayor and my wife Jacque, we are making a financial donation to the Lawson Food Pantry. I want to challenge those who can join in with Jacque and I to further support our own through the Lawson Food Pantry. Your support via grocery items and/or financial support are greatly appreciated. Your donations to the Lawson Food Pantry can be made at the Central Bank of Midwest via the drive thru. Additionally, I ask that you please continue to support our local businesses especially our establishments who serve food through curbside pick-up. Please check individual businesses Facebook and website pages for updates as well as calling directly to our local establishments to get updates on hours of operation and specials and possibly some grocery needs.

These are unchartered times. Please, let’s use them to grow closer to family and friends. Please spend as much time as possible with your family and please make sure to reach out to friends and see if there is a need in which we can help.

May God Bless You All
Your Mayor,
Greg Taylor