Later today, the baton will be officially passed in the City of Minden. Mayor Tommy Davis will end his 5-year career as the leader of Minden, and Terry “TG” Gardner will take the helm.
I would like to personally thank Mayor Davis for his leadership over the past several years, both as mayor and a city councilman. I also want to thank all the outgoing council members for their service. Minden is forever grateful to you.
An often thankless job, city government is not for the faint of heart. These folks have left our city fiscally sound, and poised for success. Their work will be continued under a new mayor and mostly-new council.
It is my hope that 2019 will be a year of growth and prosperity for Minden. The foundation has been laid, and now our city can make great strides, if we choose to work together.
Several years ago, a trusted colleague gave me some sage advice. He said, “Just because it isn’t the way you would do it doesn’t make it wrong.” New leadership means new ideas and inevitable change. We need to embrace that.
No longer should we give the excuse, “We’ve never done it that way before.” The future of our community hinges on whether or not we aggressively pursue progress — even if it upsets some folks. However, change for the sake of change is not wise either. The balance between the two is paramount for long-term success.
I believe Minden can grow and still keep its hometown charm. I believe we can attract new residents and businesses without losing our character. I believe if we don’t our community will eventually dry up to fraction of what we see now.
Smart growth can only take place when those in power work toward a common good, even if they don’t always agree. With a Mayor-Council form of government, every voice has equal weight. Therefore, the ability of these elected officials to work together will be the deciding factor on the future success of our community.
I believe, based on personal conversations with our newly-elected council members, they each have the best interest of Minden at heart. That’s exciting.
At a recent meeting, I heard Mayor-Elect Gardner say, “Plan for the future, but act in the now.”
I concur. Let’s do this.
David Specht is editor and publisher of the Minden Press-Herald.