April 24, 2020
I Just Heard From A Friend...
With all the forced social distancing we’ve had to endure, it’s nice to hear from a familiar and unique voice. It reminded me of the first radio broadcast that broke the silence a couple of hours after Hurricane Charley ripped through our area. I remember 
sitting in my garage that night on a foot stool, turning the knob of my portable radio for hours, refusing to give in to futility, hoping for something to break through the sound of static.
I’m here at the County Administration building, working. We do have a schedule rotation but my responsibilities require that I have my (w)heels here on the ground, at least part of the week. As you may know, I assist the County Attorney and manage the legal office for the county. The County Attorney collaborates very closely with the County Administrator and Commissioners in real-time assessments and proactively acting upon current and future events/conditions to ensure the safety, well-being and to preserve the best interest of each citizen in our community. My small role is to ensure the County Attorney has the tools she needs to assist/provide what the County Administrator and Commissioners need to execute effective legislative and executive decisions. I work in the shadows oiling the machine- help draft legal documents, author public and legal notices to be disseminated county-wide, among other things; and ensuring that communications between the County Attorney and county/state leaders are always open. Even so, my work pales in comparison with our beloved, iron-willed, super heroes - the medical personnel and first responders- who are out there every day, willing to sacrifice their own life to save another. That’s love in its purest form.
That’s why I’m here, refusing again to give in to the futility and sound of static, with high hopes that we shall overcome this crisis too. We must be here (or there, or wherever we need to be) for our super heroes.
Ceres Austria, Assistant to County Attorney
Office of the County Attorney
United Way of Charlotte County Campaign Cabinet Member.