Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch to present annual State of the City on March 9

— News about Quincy from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Mayor Koch’s 2015 State of the City address
A Quincy Quarry News file photo

Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch to present State of the City address on March 9.

While states of the union, states of a state, and states of a city or town addresses are typically presented in January, this past year has been a tough year for most any elected executive officer to endeavor to spin.

For example, recently inaugurated President Joe Biden had yet to be invited by Congress to present his first State of the Union when this Quincy Quarry article was published. 

Then again, the US Constitution only but generally states that a sitting president “… shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union …”

Woodrow Wilson presenting the State of the Union
An old photo

Even better, for over a century starting with President Thomas Jefferson, all subsequent presidents until President Woodrow Wilson just sent along to members of Congress what today most would view as basically a memo and so, among things, mitigating the risk of attendees ending up caught nodding off during a speech.

Unfortunately, a midterm State of the City address is mandated in Quincy, however unclear as to just exactly when after the mayoral term of office was expanded from two years to four years, and thus just what does “midpoint” in a twice as long term admonition mean?

Faux fans in the cheap seats
A C.J. Gunther Lusa image

In any event, all manner of elected officials and Koch coatholders will have to show up in person to suffer listening to the self-congratulatory bloviating as Mayor Koch is planning on presenting the address outdoors at 11 AM in front of City Hall so as to effect a workaround around still in place pandemic indoor capacity limits.

Plus, there probably was not enough time to have cardboard faux fan placards printed up and then sent up inside of old CIty Hall a la what professional sports teams have been doing to paper their venues with fake fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That and so be able to wrap up the address in time to hit the likely catered post-address buffet lunch, still ongoing six-person party limit for dining out pandemic restriction notwithstanding.

Listen, my children, and you shall hear …
An old Facebook image

And even more problematic for the mandatory attendees, the forecast for next Tuesday is for a sunny day with temperatures in the relatively balmy mid-50’s and thus no rainchecks can be claimed even if the mayor’s address will be live-streamed.

More problematic yet this year, however, is just what is the state of the health of Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch?

As one can clearly see from a recent picture in the Quincy print-based tabloid issue which noted finally setting of a date for the State of the City address two months later than past practice, Mayor Koch looked at least unwell, perhaps aging rapidly and/or had recently gone a rough ten rounds with one of George Foreman’s sons.

Granted, while everyone knows that Mayor Koch has a face for radio and there have been indications of the possible use of hair dye and perhaps even makeup on occasion, the picture used by the usually obliging local print tabloid looks to be confirming the long-held public image axiom that one should never –  EVER – let any media pick the image used in any media coverage.

After all, a picture can readily tell at least a thousand words and in this case none favorable.

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