Mayor announces new date for traditional City Hall Leeve

In an email today from Mayor Bob Bratina’s Chief of Staff Peggy Chapman, the Mayor announced his traditional New Year’s Levee will coincide with New Year’s Day on the Julian Calendar used by the Orthodox faith – January 14th on the Gregorian calendar we use to mark time.

The rescheduling is consistent with the information I received from sources at City Hall on December 22nd when I tweeted:[blackbirdpie id=”149934486849732608″]
Ms. Chapman wrote to the news media:

Happy New Year Everyone!
If you would kindly add January 14th (Orthodox New Year) to your community calendars as the date for the Mayor’s Levee. It will be held at City Hall from noon to 2pm. We were planning on announcing it and advertising it next week when City Hall is open but I wanted to give you a head’s up. Due to the opportunity for a vacation (first one in two years with his family), Mayor Bratina is away this week. As well, many staff and local politicians were not available to attend and participate on New Years Day.

The email includes the following quote attributed to Mayor Bratina:

[quote_box author=”Bob Bratina, ” profession=”Mayor of Hamilton”]
Although my preference is to hold the Levee on January 1, it would come right in the middle of the two week opportunity, so my office is arranging for the Levee to be held on January 14.  This is also reflective of Hamilton’s diverse cultures and religions, as it falls on the traditional Orthodox New Years Day, which Ukrainians for instance celebrate as “Malanka”.  We also intend to invite the Chinese Community for their Lunar Calendar New Years Day January 23rd.  Details will follow.
[/quote_box]

The email ends by noting Mayor Bratina will be away from the office until January 9th.

Citizen’s Levee

Citizens are organising their own Levee at City Hall for New Year’s Day to be held from 1 to 3pm. The Citizen’s Levee is receiving support from both members of City Council and local philanthropist Chris Ecklund. [blackbirdpie id=”152912498952110080″][blackbirdpie id=”152922007925821441″]
Note: I won’t be attending the Citizen’s Levee as I’m fighting off a cold and don’t want to spread it