To the Mayor, Council, and Town Manager,

         Our 100-year celebration, in my view, is just the start. This Council and previous councils have built a community worth living in and growing up in. However, this body is stretched too thin, and while our actions are vital, I believe they are not enough. We govern in a world more connected than ever, yet also very disconnected. The digital age has led society to invest in technology and pull away from one another. Instead of sharing ideas, we focus only on ourselves. Instead of moving together toward a higher goal, we each fight for our own hills.

         We can’t fix this ourselves, but we have a community of wonderful people who can and who have been involved from the start. I suggest we focus on uplifting and highlighting ministries, non-profits, and other special groups that truly make an impact at the ground level. We’ve dwelled in negativity for far too long. I’ve come to believe that the best thing I can do as an elected official is to give people more voice and more power in efforts to improve and change our community. The bank account of community spirit is running low. We have many contributors; we need to recognize and invest in them so they can carry the mission forward.

         Second, we need to begin again preparing for our community picnic, and every year from now on. The turnout at our 100th anniversary celebration was terrific, and I genuinely believe we can do even better in the future, and I hope to rival any small town that can ignite a June Thanksgiving like we did. The Mayor, the Council, the staff, and dedicated volunteers made it all happen. I am grateful for our united effort. From Mrs. Mobley helping before the event to Treasurer Ray being the last one there picking up trash and restoring Courtland field to its original condition. It was hard work, but through our combined effort and faith in our town, we pulled it off. Let’s aim to do it again, each time a little better.

         Finally, our community efforts should happen quarterly. From activating local youth in spring with our Mayor for a day to hopefully in the future having a council for a day, to hosting our community picnic in the summer, supporting the community and town at large with the railroad festival in the fall, and finally, developing something grand for our community in winter. We have had many great ideas from numerous council members as well as local community members who are looking for a nostalgic feeling, and I don’t think folks would mind if their town reflected a Hallmark movie set every now and then.

         If our community members pride us on having small town charm in our past SWOT Analysis, I say we make it more of a reality every year, so that even when we grow, we will grow stronger and grow closer because the community chose to do so.

Respectfully Submitted to The Mayor, Council, and Town Manager,

McKinley D. Cardwell