Optimism is Essential
Weekly Update 1/29/2023 to 2/4/2023 #158
Do you see what I see? No, I am not singing a Christmas song, but before I expand on this thought, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best smalltown in America.
This week’s department visit was with the B squad at the Seymour Police Department. We had a chance to patrol several neighborhoods around the community. As we drove through one just before midnight, I couldn't help but think about a recent complaint a resident had shared with me about the police never patrolling their area. I learned a few years ago that we often don’t notice things like random patrols because they don’t attract much attention from someone who is obeying the law but are noticed quickly by someone who is up to no good. I also had a chance to watch the interaction between one of our newest officers as he conducted a traffic stop and a search. Keep up the good work, SPD, you are appreciated more than you realize.
Have you ever taken time to try to explain what you do for a living to children? This week the Boys and Girls Club asked if I would speak about how I serve our community. We had a good time talking about my role, but also what they like and don’t like about our area. We then went on to talk about the future and its limitless bounds if they are willing to work for it. Thank you, Boys and Girls Club, for the chance to share with our future leaders.
This week the Administrative Resources Association was chosen by a committee to oversee our recent Owner-Occupied Rehab Grant. This is the same process we use for many of our selections each year. We have a window for proposals to be submitted. Then we meet as a committee to open and score proposals. We then call in the top scores for an interview. After the interviews, we make our selection. We do this for contracts related to projects in several different areas. As Seymour is one of the owners of ARA and I serve on the board, I feel like this is the fairest way for us to make selections like this.
So do you see it? While I can’t help but run drift into the next lines of this Christmas carol, I am really referring to the positive direction our community is headed. Last week, I shared about sitting down with builders and developers. This week as those meetings continued I couldn’t help but notice the continued forward-thinking they exhibited. The same is true of B-Squad patrols that may be unnoticed by many but still happen on a regular basis and help keep our community safe. Jump to Lutheran Schools Week and Catholic Schools Week that recently happened or even Public Schools Week later this month and you have so many caring adults making a difference in our futures via the education of our children. This same care is given by area organizations that work every day on after-school programs. We live in a community full of caring individuals who are willing to give of their time for others. Last week, I was asked what I liked most about serving as mayor, and I shared that I get to see what is going on around us. I get to see the programs for our kids. I get to see the builders and developers who are working tirelessly to bring new offerings to our community. When something new starts, it wasn’t overnight; it was weeks, months, and sometimes years of back work to get them interested in coming to Seymour. I hope that each week with these updates that I can help others see how amazing our community is and how much we can accomplish with each other's help. Today, I leave you with a quote from Nicholas Murray Butler, "Optimism is essential to achievement, and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress."