A Few Minutes with the Mayor – November 2024

AS WE NEAR THE END OF 2024, we are starting to wind down the year and enjoy the fall. We are looking forward to the holiday season and all that entails for us individually. Our election year is finally over, thank goodness, and we have a head start on planning for 2025. I’d like to congratulate those newly- elected, and those who successfully ran for re-election—all will be sworn-in on January 7th at the first City Council meeting of 2025 at 6pm in New City Hall.

Thanks to all of you who voted. Taking the time and effort required, to make an informed vote for the betterment and future of our city, is a responsibility I know you take seriously. Jacksonville is an important historical resource. It’s important to maintain our small-town culture and manage our growth while serving everyone who lives here. An effective City Council is crucial for this.

Why is it so important that you voted in this election? Voting is a key element of civic engagement and a critical part of the democratic process. In a democracy, you get a say in things that are important to you. You get to choose your elected officials, and your vote is your report card on your officials. Voting impacts your future and voting isn’t a right Americans have always had. In the past, the number of people eligible to vote was much smaller. In 1789, the U.S. Constitution didn’t even detail specific voting rights, leaving it up to the states. Most states only allowed white, male, landowners the right to vote. In 1868, the 14th Amendment established birthright and naturalized citizenship. While the amendment also gave freed enslaved people and black people citizenship, they still weren’t given voting rights until two years later. Women weren’t given the right to vote until 1920, and in 1965 the Voting Rights Act passed, providing more voting rights protections. Many people take voting for granted, but it’s the result of centuries of activism and progress. So, thank you again for exercising your voting rights. Please feel free to attend city council meetings to see what’s happening in Jacksonville this year. Your opinions, and questions, are always welcome.

Keep your eye out for announcements on openings on our Commissions and Committees. Right now, we are accepting applications for the Committee for Citizen Involvement, the Parks Committee, and the Planning Commission. If you have questions about the requirements and duties involved, please give me a call or email me at mayor@jacksonvilleor.us.

One of my favorite duties, as Mayor, is getting to know some of the school-age children throughout the county. I visit with many schoolchildren each year, along with Larry Smith, our Town Historian. In October alone, I hosted fifty-two first graders from Jacksonville Elementary and invited them to participate in a mock City Council meeting. I also visited Ruch School. I answered questions from the whole student body during their morning assembly and visited several classrooms to engage with the kids in a smaller setting. Larry was busy as well, as he brought over 500 students through City Hall this year. As part of his youth programs, he also guides them on a tour around the historical points of interest in Jacksonville.

These kids are bright, engaged, and open. They are also opinionated, and eager to share their thoughts and ideas, on what is happening in the world. They are an absolute pleasure to interact with. Their education is much further advanced, at a younger age, than I experienced at the primary level many decades ago. We are very lucky to have parents so involved with raising these children. They are lucky to have educators who foster and encourage their development. Larry and I are lucky to experience the joy of interacting with them all. When you see them on their field trips, please give them a shout-out. You are seeing our future leaders!

Jacksonville is indeed, a fortunate city to have the citizen involvement shown in our voting numbers, and to have such a wonderful, enthusiastic, group to follow in the future! I am thankful for all of you! Until next time, enjoy our fall weather and the many delicious treats the season brings.