Serving as mayor comes with a few things.
Some most know about, like the weight of the world on my shoulders or at least our 12 square miles of it.
Other things some don’t know about, like having giant scissors that rarely see the light of day. As always, I will come back around to this thought before I go, but until then, enjoy some of the highlights of my week.
Recently, we saw a few ribbon cuttings. The Schurman-Grubb Memorial Skatepark is complete after more than 20 years of talk and 10 years since Todd Schurman and Zach Grubb were killed in a late-night accident.
A couple of years after their death, it was decided the park would be finished in three phases. Now, with the completion of Phase 3, we can close that chapter in Seymour history. Thank you to all who have caught me recently and shared heartfelt thank-yous.
The other recent ribbon cutting was Uptown Realty Partners located in downtown Seymour. Best of luck, ladies. I know you will work hard to help our community find their next place.
The most recent city council meeting saw the passing of a parking fine increase from $3 to $10 starting Jan. 1, 2021. If you read the most recent article in The Tribune, you know that Seymour Main Street and the Seymour Chamber of Commerce are partnering up to share more detail about the more than 400 off-street parking spaces that are available in the downtown.
I recently had a chance to catch up with Curt Nichols on 99.3 FM and 1390 AM via the Breakfast Chat. We talked about parking, roadwork, city council, masks and more. Don’t forget you can catch me on the second Tuesday of each month on Breakfast Chat at 9:05 a.m.
This past week, I also had a chance to catch up with some of our younger engaged citizens via the Youth Council. We toured the downtown and chatted about what would make it better in their eyes. We talked about how we could utilize the Seymour Community Center to better serve all and even had a brief discussion on a new survey that is open for everyone to take.
Much the same way as I am energized by them, I also walked away energized by the Immanuel Lutheran Church adult senior ministry group. We had a delicious meal and chatted about their concerns for our community and exchanged ideas on how to improve our future.
It really does take a village, and we all come from different life experiences to get where we are. That leads me back to my original thoughts from the opening of this week’s update.
While listening to a former mayor speak recently, he was reminding us not to forget who we were before we started serving as mayor.
In my time serving as mayor, I realize I won’t play the same part in everyone’s story. For some, I will be viewed as a hero accomplishing things thought impossible. For others, I will merely be the court jester here for nothing more than a good laugh. Then others will need to view me as a villain to balance out their own story.
It doesn’t bother me that I will be cast in these and thousands of more ways over my time as mayor because I know my life experiences have made me who I am today.
I also realize I will continue to try my best to leave Seymour better than I found it in many different ways, always looking to the future for all.
I believe President Abraham Lincoln said it best when he said, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Matt Nicholson is the mayor of Seymour. Send comments to awoods@aimmedia indiana.com.