Mayor's Blog
“Leaders need to understand how profoundly they affect people, how their optimism and pessimism are equally infectious, how directly they set the tone and spirit of everyone around them.” --Capt. (Ret.) D. Michael Abramoff, USN, author of “It's Your Ship”
In the quotation above, Capt. Abramoff accurately captures the importance of attitude and how infectious it is. Whether family members, the person at the convenience store counter or co-workers, demeanor makes a difference.
The City of Jasper has taken steps in the last few years which have emphasized building off our current strengths to deliver a greater future. The foundation for development of new ideas, projects and plans starts with the question of, “How might we accomplish this?”. In this manner we assess situations with a proactive perspective – taking an opportunistic approach – then balancing it with our obligations as a municipality.
The result is a community on the move. It seems Jasper is on everyone's radar and for the right reasons. We have growing companies, the state's highest level of employment, low crime, a strong financial position and significant interest in our downtown and riverfront, in part because of our philosophy of optimism. Just recently, a travel blog - Movoto.com - named Jasper as one of the Top 10 Best Place to Live in Indiana. We are the highest ranked community outside of the Indianapolis metropolitan area!
With all of this working in our favor, I believe our citizens are our greatest assets. It is your contributions to our workforce, your charitable support and a desire for keeping a watchful eye over your neighborhoods which makes Jasper hum. And the reason you do it can be found in the title of the Capt. Abramoff's book: “It's Your Ship.”
Mayor Terry Seitz
