Mayor's Blog
“In great cities, spaces as well as places are designed and built. The word citizen has to do with cities, and the ideal city is organized around citizenship – around participation in public life.”
Rebeca Solnit, Author
During this semester, several department leaders and I had the privilege of teaching a series call “Our City” for the local Junior Achievement program. During these classes, our eyes were opened to the questions only third grade students could ask, such as, “Are you the President?” And, “Does a fire truck cost more than a thousand dollars?” Or, “Can you do something about my little sister?” We hope our participation helped to set the stage for our next generation to become involved in our community.
In one of my classes I referred to the words used in the quote which opens this month's column – that city is connected to citizen. I firmly believe strong communities are empowered by even stronger citizens – those who have a sense of pride, those who have the ability, as well as the desire, to work. Those who take time to improve the city they call home.
Citizenship entails certain rights, privileges and duties. As Mayor of Jasper, I believe it is the duty of a citizen to understand the importance of their role in government. This includes knowing local government officials and offices. For our part, the public has been significantly engaged with the City of Jasper in four major efforts since 2012: Our Downtown & Riverfront Master Plan; planning for The Parklands; the review of our Zoning & Sub-division Control Ordinances and our Aquatics Study. Thank you for your contributions.
I find all too often that there is a knowledge gap about local government and its purpose so I welcome the opportunity to speak to as many groups as I can about the importance of municipal government. If you wish for me to come to a meeting, just call Jasper City Hall or email me at mayorseitz@ci.jasper.in.us.
Enjoy Jasper!
Mayor Terry Seitz
