Astonish the Rest
Weekly update 2/23 to 2/29 #5
I have a Mark Twain quote sitting on my desk that says "Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Monday I knew if I spoke about needing to have a real conversation about trash and sewer rates that the headlines would read "Mayor hits on need for sewer, trash rate hikes." I also knew that the headline would sensationalize the topic and help sell newspapers and attract the full range of emotional reactions on social media. Thank you January for writing a wonderful article covering the State of the City. I am always glad to answer questions about what is going on, and even though you may not like my answers, I will still tell you the answer. The only time I won’t is if I can’t due to the item not being public knowledge. I do this because it is our community, and I believe you deserve to know what we are facing. Rates have not been raised since 2001, but costs go up every year. While we have adopted improved processes and will continue to, at some point we have to have the hard conversation that most have avoided for years.
This week, I spent half a day at the airport. The airport and the Freeman Army Airfield Museum are hidden gems of our community. This summer we are seeing some major improvements happen. Lengthening a runway will allow us to land larger aircraft and potentially grow the industrial use of the airport.
This week was my first quarterly meeting with INDOT. Every quarter we sit down and update on the progress of where our projects are and what the next steps are. With many road projects in the works these meetings are a much needed tool to keep all parties in the loop.
This was my second visit with Rock Radio 96.3. Robert has me out after the second council meeting of each month to update the listening audience. This visit we talked about the State of the City. Along the same lines I sat down with Park and Recreation director Stacy Findley to record our 2nd podcast. If you have been following along the podcast has not been named yet. I am leaning towards “Upfront with Mayor Matt” or “Head on with Mayor Matt”. It will be released Monday night at 7pm here on Facebook. Hope you will take a minute or 16 to give it a listen. If you prefer the live version of my voice, I will join Owlragious Radio hour at the same time on 96.3.
Growing and learning are always happening here in Seymour. I visited with the Seymour Middle School FFA kids for breakfast, and later the same day I participated in a groundbreaking at Lutheran Community Home.
Above, you have a glimpse into some of my week. I say some because to share everything would be a five page essay with circles and graphs on the back explaining what each one was. Before I go though I would like to circle back to that Mark Twain quote. "Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Some of you have thanked me for being upfront about the hard conversations that we face. Some of you are astonished by the fact that I am willing to share information. I believe it is right to share and will gladly answer questions (if I can) if you reach out. I read the comments on social media, but it is impossible to reply to them all especially since I limit my daily time on facebook. If you have a question, want to make sure that I have seen the name you have chosen to call me, or simply want to share your thoughts please drop me a message, email, or give me a call. mayor@seymourin.org or 812-522-4020. I will always do my best to get back with you when I have a free minute.
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