Championship community
Weekly update 10/3/2021 to 10/9/2021 #89
What if all of us need a pick-me-up every now and then? As always before I finish this thought, let me share some of my week.
Thank you to Sakari Helping Hands for being a part of the 48th Annual Oktoberfest. Recently, I had a chance to visit with our Japanese friends and receive a donation to the city from their efforts at the booth. I visited the booth during the festival and was amazed at the skill they shared with the world via origami. The items they create are absolutely beautiful. Thank you again for thinking of our community with your efforts.
As we are winding down on the design phase of the new fire station headquarters, I have to thank Chief Lucas for all his hard work and dedication. He has sat through many meetings trying to make sure the community has all it needs in this facility while keeping the price at a point that doesn’t require tax increases. Patience isn’t always easy, but thanks to planning from previous administrations, we will be able to accomplish this project while maintaining a level debt service for our citizens. I knew coming in that we had many irons in the fire and sticking to a plan was important for our future.
Life is full of ups and downs much like the off-road portion of the D.A.R.E. Jeep Rally. I recently had a chance to participate in this 2nd annual event along with around 250 other Jeeps from around the state. The D.A.R.E. program is taught to 5th graders throughout the area, and they support the program via fundraiser events such as the Jeep Rally. Thank you to all the participants and an even bigger thank you to all that volunteered and helped make the event a success. Tomorrow is brighter because of you. If you missed your chance to donate via this event, don’t worry; I believe the program will still take your donation. Just reach out to Seymour Police Department and ask for a D.A.R.E. officer.
A recent refreshing moment for me was visiting with other elected officials from around the state at the Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM) Ideas Summit. Oftentimes, we get so focused on our area that we lose sight of where we are. For many that can be that they are focused on one area and don’t take into consideration outside requirements that cause changes. With my role serving the community, I often get buried in the problem-solving piece and don’t take time to see the small victories we are having along the way. When I have a chance to visit with other elected officials around the state, I will get little comments or questions that remind me people are watching, and they are curious how we get something done. I have had these moments with people from towns as small as 300 and as large as 100,000. It doesn't matter as we all have the same problems just on different scales.
Today, I hope you will remember that Seymour has so much going for it and that sometimes we are too close to remember to see it. Join me the next time as I remember to celebrate the little victories and dedicate my voice to getting a paddle in everyone’s hand and, more importantly, rowing in the same direction so we can create a vibrant and prosperous community for everyone. Michael Jordan said, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." We all have our own talents to win games. The real question is can we put aside our differences to create teamwork and let the intelligence shine through to make Seymour a championship community?