One for the Record Books
Weekly Update 7/9/2023 to 7/15/2023 #181
When a 40-year veteran of the department says “That is one for the record books,” it will make you stop and think. Before I get into this thought though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best smalltown in America.
This week, I was asked by Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation to help with the new video they are working on with Kevin Bell. I always enjoy projects like this because they highlight various positives of our community. This one is focused on the work that we have been doing with the Brookings Institute over the last ten months. As the study is winding down, we look forward to the findings and what they see as future projects for our area. I will leave it at that so as not to spoil it before the release, but thank you JCIDC for the invite to help.
Each week, I try to get out and work alongside one of our departments. This week, I spent several hours with the Seymour Police Department one evening. During calls ranging from theft to domestic violence, I had a chance to see our men and women in blue interact with citizens from our community and beyond. Oftentimes when an officer interacts with someone, it can be stressful, and this night was no different. I did, however, get to see as they handled themselves with professionalism and caring like no other. One community member sticks in my mind as he isn’t causing trouble, but looking for attention which will eventually get him into trouble if he is not careful. Thank you to everyone at SPD for all your hard work keeping our community safe.
One of the fun parts of my role as mayor is getting invited to events like the lemonade stands at Girl’s Inc. Every year, they use the lemonade stand as a chance to teach about business and give the girls a chance to earn a pizza party. I try to make it fun when I drop by, and this year, I asked Chief Lucas when the last time he had driven a fire truck was. He said it had been a few years, so we decided to take reserve engine 14 so it had a chance to be driven. Chief is retiring at the end of the year and the smile on his face as we headed there was worth the trip alone. After we had a chance to talk with the girls, Chief, Building Commissioner Gray, and myself headed back to the station. As we were headed back the tones went off. With a few other calls already being tended to, I jokingly said Engine 14 respond to Chief. We knew we were in the area and quickly found the call. As we rolled up from one way the other available truck was pulling up from the other direction. The looks on the faces in the other engine were priceless as they tried to figure out who was in Engine 14. Then out jump the Fire Chief, Building Commissioner, and the Mayor. “That is one for the record books.”
Looking back on this week, there were several times that I could have said that's not my job. But that's not who I am. While I know two of us in the fire truck would not have been much help on a medical run, we were both willing to be told what needed to be done and how we could help if it was needed Much the same way on Saturday morning, I was asked how to pack a rear load packer from the Department of Public Works and was one button from figuring it out with just a phone call. By this point though, we had several bags of trash dumped on the ground. No problem as a shovel and pitchfork were conveniently located on the side of the truck. Again, a chance to say “not my job," but instead I just jumped in and took care of what needed to be done. While it may be slower when you aren’t as experienced as someone who does the job on a regular basis, that doesn’t mean you can’t at least be of help when the chance comes up. Today, I will leave you with the words of comedian Dick Gregory, "One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people."