As I step down as City Manager effective June 30, I want to thank the citizens of Springfield for their civic engagement, and encourage you to keep going!
The very fact that you are reading the SGF Neighborhood News shows a level of engagement in your city. Keep reading future editions. SGFNN is a wonderful way for us all to communicate with each other.
Many of you attend neighborhood association meetings. Some of you serve in leadership positions on neighborhood association boards. Keep attending and leading. This “grass roots” participation is a key to our neighborhoods’ continuous improvement. Things get better when you get involved.
And finally, keep watching the horizon. Our community, like all others in our country and many around the world, will be experiencing significant changes over the next 20-30 years. Ask yourself, “How should we be preparing our community for those anticipated changes?”
I believe Springfield is positioned well for the future changes that will occur. We have a strong local economy, with anchors such as healthcare and education. We have a dynamic downtown that continues to be a talent magnet. We are a weird stew of skills, backgrounds, and dreams. Building on this fertile ground, anything is possible.
You can help shape our community for the future. In fact, you already are. Keep yourself informed. Participate in the process. Meet your neighbors, and talk to them. Vote.
Most of us have very busy lives, but investing some time in your neighborhood – and your neighbors – not only makes your community better and more vibrant, but it’s also good for our entire city. Strong neighborhoods are the building blocks of a strong city.
It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as city manager for the past decade. I wish Jason Gage all the best as he takes the reins, and I am comfortable knowing he is inheriting a special set of neighborhoods.