A Few Minutes with the Mayor – December 2022/January 2023

The Holiday Celebrations are now in full swing in Jacksonville. I would like to extend Seasons Greetings to you and your families. I hope you will have a chance to enjoy some of the many holiday activities Jacksonville is known for. The Chamber of Commerce has been very busy preparing for our Victorian Christmas, Christmas Parade, and other celebrations. Our local businesses have decorated their shops, and the Jacksonville Garden Club will hold their annual Christmas Greens Sale the first weekend in December.

It has been a busy year for Jacksonville and the year-end bustle can be both exciting and exhausting. We naturally reflect on what occurred during the previous year and 2022 brought a bit of a sea change for everyone with Covid restrictions being more relaxed. We learned how to deal with every Covid variant. We began meeting in person, started returning to work in our actual workplaces, and our children returned to school. The normalcy we all took for granted has returned…somewhat.  I’ve noticed a new appreciation for life, as we know it now, versus how we lived it during the worst of Covid. Somehow, we all persevered and found our “new normal.”

City business has continued throughout the pandemic, as essential city services and business cannot be ignored. I would like to extend my appreciation to our City Staff, all our City Departments, along with the City Council, and our volunteers who serve on our Commissions and Committees. Thank you all for showing up with the serious attitude needed to help our city run normally and function well.

The Grand Opening of our new Fire Hall was a major milestone in events this year. Many, many thanks to Fire Chief Wayne Painter, City Administrator Jeff Alvis, and everyone who contributed to ensuring the completion of this project.

This was an election year and with the loss of Councilor Jim Lewis and with Councilor Scott Selbe returning to private life, we were looking at some empty chairs. Councilor Ken Gregg was re-elected. Councilor Andy Hellenthal, who was selected to fill the remaining term of Councilor Jim Lewis, was also elected. At the time of this writing, candidates Talon Reed and Megan Kimball were too close in votes to call. Look for a final tally on the Jacksonville Review webpage as final election results are announced. I would like to thank all of you who ran for City Council. It requires a bit of fortitude to run for elected office and the effort it involves is never taken lightly.

Until February, my sincerest wishes to you all for a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!