Dear Minot:

I have been blessed in so many areas this year. My family has grown, my children have found careers – and my mother even moved back to Minot. 

Of all the personal blessings, the highlight has to be the honor of being chosen to serve as your mayor. Honestly, there is nothing I want for myself this year, but I will ask Santa for a few gifts for others:

To the City Council: I would like Santa to bring us vision, collaboration, respect, and continued stewardship of the peoples’ money. There are big things ahead for us to tackle in 2023 and beyond. We will need collective input and the ability to dig deep if we are to achieve our goals.

To the employees of the City of Minot: I wish for you to be empowered to grow, and to find new ways to use your talents. In addition, I wish for you to have a safe year. I want you all to be blessed with the gift of time, for yourself and your family. I am proud of all of you and the jobs you do every day to make life better for the residents of our community.

To the department heads at the City of Minot: I wish for you to continue your leadership, creating a culture that encourages growth, communication, and collaboration. You are leaders in your chosen fields and are in your positions for a reason, but leadership is a gift that can’t be given.  

For our area legislative team: I wish for you to have the vision and confidence, along with the strength, to work for the betterment and protection of our community. Work hard during your session to invest our money wisely, and to continue the trend of making North Dakota's economy one of the strongest and fastest growing economies in the country.  

For my neighbors at Minot Air Force Base: I wish only the best for you. I want you to make the best of your time in Minot. I want you to feel like Minot is your home, a place to explore, experience, and discover. I wish for you to have the strength to continue your critical mission that has a global reach and a direct impact on maintaining peace for our planet. You have given me and my family the gift of security. Thank you, and may you continue to be safe.

To my neighbors who live in and around the great Magic City: My wish for you is to be proud, strong, and have a vision for the future - a future that helps our community grow, a future that continues to spur investment and creates victories in our economy, our tourism, and our quality of life.  

Minot is a wonderful place to live, work, and play, and is especially a great place to raise a family. The Christmas spirit is alive and well in our community, and it’s visible if you look around. During this holiday season, my final wish is that we all take a moment to recognize the simple things that make our community truly the Magic City.

Merry Christmas. 

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.