Big Things
Weekly update #318 2/22/2026 to 2/28/2026
Robert Breault said, "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." Before I look at this quote a little closer though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
This week, I want to start with a shout-out to my Department of Public Works co-worker, Skyler. When I visit a department, it usually starts with learning what I am headed out to do. At this point though, I have visited enough that I get to help with items I have done before. This week, I helped with a clam truck and cleaned up larger trash piles along the Wednesday route. One of the pieces that stuck out to me was his interest in helping keep Seymour clean, especially after a windy night. We uprighted toters that had blown over, making it easier on the automated drivers when they got to that area. We grabbed items that had probably blown from an address or two away, and we even went back to help an automated driver who had a toter escape the arm and spill along a busy street. He was even kind enough to let me slow down the process and run the arm during a stop or two. Thank you, Skyler, for the chance to see how you approach the job at hand, and to everyone at DPW, thank you for all you do for our community.
Just a few days ago, I had a visit from Sakura Helping Hands, who made a donation to help with a joint project with the school and parks department. Every year, they host a booth in the craft section of the Oktoberfest, bringing fun items for all to enjoy, and when it is all said and done, they donate the profits to help around the community. In years past, they have helped plant trees, improved the parks, and so much more. This year, the donation went to the Westside Park shelter house project, which is being built by Seymour High School Construction class, with fundraising currently going on to see the shelter house become a reality.
Happy belated birthday to Baby Mia, who turned six last month. For those who don’t remember, Mia was left in the Baby Box located at Station 3 back in 2020. Yesterday, during her birthday party, I told her that we would have to bump her up to Miss Mia since she isn’t a baby anymore. Thank you to Hunter for raising the needed funds many years ago to allow Seymour to have a Safe Haven Baby Box. It has made a lifetime of difference for one little girl.
Back to that opening quote from opera singer Robert Breault, "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." Each year, when I prepare for the State of the City, I have a few options. One, include everything from the previous year and give a speech that goes into the next day, or two, figure out what not to include and keep it to less than an hour. This year, I chose to give a few items a little extra time per slide with mentions and bullet points on others before jumping into future items. The mentions and bullet points accomplished what I had hoped and have led to several conversations since the State of the City. Each year is full of so many things that often feel little, but I discover they are in fact the big things, and every department has them year after year. To pick one today would be an injustice to so many more, so I will simply encourage you to go find the video or to read the article in The Tribune to see the highlights from 2025.