51 Months
Weekly update #326 4/19/2026 to 4/25/2026
Four years and three months later, the momentum continues. Before that, though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
The Youth Council had their next to last meeting for the 25/26 season and learned about Seymour Transit. While the crowd was a little smaller than normal, the conversation was as good as ever. Several good questions about how transit works and what it costs to use. At just $25 for a monthly unlimited pass or $2 per trip, they realized it was a good option to be picked up at your door and dropped off at your destination. They also seemed surprised to learn that from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, you have plenty of time to get where you are headed with just a little planning on the front end.
Just after the Parks Master Plan meeting on Wednesday night, I had an impromptu meeting with a newer resident of the area and learned a little about their business and how they got here in Seymour. I always find it interesting to hear how someone got here from another state. One statement that Ann shared with me was that part of their decision was how much Seymour has going on and how we have continued to improve the community over the last decade or so. Thank you to both Ann and Shawn for joining us for the Master Plan meeting and for sticking around afterwards for an extended discussion.
This week, Big Brothers and Big Sisters visited City Hall to discuss their efforts to grow programming here in Seymour and Jackson County. While the COVID years changed how the organization looks at higher levels, the mission seems to be the same at the local level, and I am excited to see what the next year or two bring for our area participants.
Four years and three months ago today, I invited a dozen community members to City Hall to tell me about living in long-term recovery. Since that conversation, our local recovery community has built momentum towards the future. They have received grants to support their efforts. Recovery housing has opened here in Seymour. 180 RCO has launched and has already served almost 100 new faces since the start of 2026. The energy the members of the recovery community bring to the table is the key, and I hope they continue to show up and support one another for many years to come. One of the items that has grown over this time as well is the Recovery Dinner, which is a chance to celebrate the victories of those who are living in long-term recovery. Today, I want to leave you with a quote I shared at the fourth Annual Recovery Dinner from author Jon Acuff, "The scars you share become lighthouses for other people who are headed for the same rocks you hit."