Dear Minot:
I love Minot, and I am especially grateful for the privilege of serving as your mayor. As I get ready to spend the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with my friends and family, I have taken time to sit back and reflect on what I am thankful for this season.
First and foremost, I am truly thankful for my family. I am fortunate to be able to spend time and visit with my mother, my children, and my partner. In their own way, each and every one of them grounds me, and they often bring me back down to earth and remind me of life’s priorities.
I am thankful for our City of Minot employees. They want what we all want: A thriving community that is safe, growing, and prosperous. City employees are our friends, our neighbors, and our family members. They have willingly signed up for a life of public service, knowing that for some of them, that means working holidays, weekends, and at all hours of the night when necessary. Our employees are the backbone of the City of Minot as an organization.
I am thankful for the members of our City Council. The vision, the respect, and the hours they put into serving their community is commendable and their hard work and diligence makes my job as mayor so much easier.
I am thankful for the numerous volunteers who call Minot home, including those who help local churches, schools, athletic programs, organizations, and community events. We simply would not be the Magic City without volunteers.
I am thankful for the teachers at every level of our educational organizations. Their role as educators has changed dramatically over the years. Their responsibilities and the expectations of their profession continue to evolve, and their impact does not end when their students leave the building for the day. Our teachers carry so much of our children's lives on their shoulders, and you often see that reflected on their faces when you visit a classroom. Please know that as a community, we support you and your efforts to help shape and guide our future generations.
I am thankful for our first responders, including City employees, Ward County employees, and members of our local police departments, fire departments, and ambulance crews. As we often say, you are the ones heading towards danger as other are fleeing from it. Your continued courage and compassion keep our city safe.
I am thankful for our active duty military and our veterans. Your continued service and past service not only keeps us free, but also spreads the message of freedom throughout the world. Your work too often gets taken for granted, but I will continue to beat the drum of your service, and I pledge to tell your story to everyone I see. Your responsibility goes beyond what many of us can even comprehend. I thank you, and I salute you.
My challenge to everyone reading this column: Pick up the tradition before your Thanksgiving meal of telling your family and your friends what you are thankful for this year. Give your family members a hug, reach out to an airman or a first responder, or simply say thank you to someone who needs to hear it. I encourage you to share your gratitude, and to share the many blessings that we enjoy.
Most of all, as mayor of Minot, I am thankful for you, the residents of our great community. You are all part of what makes Minot such a wonderful place to live. The generations of Minot residents who came before us worked tirelessly to make our community a great place to live and raise a family. Now, it’s our responsibility to continue that commitment to excellence for the next generations. I am confident we will all rise to the occasion.
Happy Thanksgiving.
You can find more about what’s happening at the City of Minot at minotnd.org, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d also encourage you to sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter on our website.