This Morning
Weekly update #312 1/11/2026 to 1/17/2026
A few years ago, I remember seeing a post about using the acronym T.H.I.N.K. before you post on social media. Before that, though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
Last year, Seymour Fire Department won an award for the Cancer Screening program they provide to our firefighters. The same day, they partnered with the Seymour Police Department to talk about the screenings and Project Lifesaver. This past week, Captain McKinney went to the Washington (Indiana) Fire Department to share how our program works and answer questions for them as they decide whether they want to offer something similar to their department. Thank you, Captain McKinney, for making the trip and sharing the information.
As departments work on year-end reports now that they have all their final numbers from 2025, the new year also brings other items. One of those items is getting quotes together for capital purchases like new service trucks at Water Pollution Control. While each capital item is different, for equipment like this we work on a ten-year rotation plan. Then, about five years out, we add them to the capital plan for the proper year. Now that the year has arrived, we gather quotes and look for the best deal. After that leg work is completed, the department will bring its recommendation to the Board of Public Works and Safety for final approval. Thank you to everyone involved with this process and all the work that goes into keeping it up to date year after year.
At the first meeting of each year, Seymour Common Council members elect a Council President. This year, they chose Seth Davidson to fill that role. Thank you, Councilman Davidson, for accepting, and thank you, Councilman Hackney, for serving as Council President the last few years.
This past week, several members of the city team joined our partners at Administrative Resources Association to discuss possible ways to stretch our stormsewer dollars further. As we discussed projects identified in the 24/25 plan, we narrowed down the ones that might have the needed income levels for that census tract and discussed a possible income study. To everyone working on this, thank you, and I look forward to seeing what comes from it.
I think we should get back to that acronym from the opening. Back in 2020, I wrote about realizing that between phone calls, emails, text messages, meetings, and office visits, I couldn’t keep up with social media comments. Fast forward to 2026, and other than my quote of the day and weekly update, I don’t post, and I don’t check back in after I do. As I pick a quote or write a weekly though, I do run through the T.H.I.N.K. acronym in my mind. T - Is it true? H - Is it helpful? I - Is it inspiring? N - Is it necessary? K - Is it kind? While the weekly is pretty simple to understand, here I will explain a little more on my daily quotes. True is as simple as finding a reliable source for who said it. Helpful, though, is more about encouraging you to think for a minute about what was said. Inspiring is all in the eye of the beholder. Kind is front of mind as I choose. Necessary, though, is a tough one. Does the world really need my quote of the day? Probably not, but every time I think maybe I will stop doing them, someone will catch me in passing and say, “Thank you, I really needed that this morning,” and at that moment, I know I will continue to do quotes for another month or two. So thank you to those who have kept me doing the quote of the day since 2022 with a few simple words.