Waiting List
Weekly update #284 6/29/2025 to 7/5/2025
In a time of instant returns could you survive 23 years on a waiting list? Before that though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
Fresh thermoplastic crosswalks by Emerson Elementary School this week get the paint crew from Department of Public Works one step closer to the upcoming school year. A few years ago, I helped paint a few crosswalks one afternoon, and I can still spot the rookie mistakes when I walk by. While I have focused on one piece of DPW today, I will still say thank you to everyone at DPW for all you do because it makes a difference in our community.
Even on a short week full of vacations the work continues on so many projects. The 2nd Street projects had crews working on both ends as they continued with the intersection at Community Drive and also worked on the stop lights in the downtown area. The South O’Brien project is still in the Right of Way phase, and they continue to work to get all of the almost 100 properties finalized on both permanent and temporary right of way. The difference being that we pay for a few feet to use during construction is temporary right of way. Permanent right of way is also paid for when we expand the corridor and the property won’t be returned to the owner after construction finishes. To everyone from boots on the ground construction crew members to those behind the scenes, thank you all because without you the finished project wouldn’t be possible.
I remember the 4th of July fireworks happening in Seymour when I was a kid, but I don’t really know who hosted them or how they were funded. Earlier this year, Park Director Keithley found paperwork that showed Parks and Recreation took over the event in 2001 making this our 25th fireworks brought to you by the City of Seymour Parks and Recreation. Some years, the weather causes a delay, but overall the attendance doesn’t seem to change much even when that happens. Thank you to this year’s sponsor, Vital Farms, and thank you to all those who make it happen each year.
Well, I guess I have made you wait long enough on the opening thought about spending 23 years on a waiting list. Recently, someone told me we live in a microwave society where we want instant results. I agree that in a lot of moments we have gotten used to an instant result. Instead of leaving a message on a home phone, we now carry a phone in our pocket. That cell phone has text capabilities, and many are upset if they don’t get an instant response to that text. Streaming services have all but eliminated the waiting for next week’s episode. Binge watching a series is the new normal. Disconnecting is harder than ever before because of cell phones, laptops, and smart watches. Another way to think about it is instant gratification or a lack of patience. I opened with someone who shared about spending 23 years on a waiting list because it struck me how different this was from the microwave society comment from someone else. The gentleman shared that he had been a season ticket holder for the Chicago Cubs for the last four seasons, and prior to that, he spent 23 years on the waiting list. In my life that would mean that I would have put my name on the list before my oldest daughter turned one. I am sure you can find your own examples of where you were in 2002 to reflect on when you got on the list. The gentleman said he joked with the ticket rep about being on the list for around 20 years when the rep told him it had actually been 23 since he applied. I share all of this to encourage you to remember that some things in life are not instant and maybe Andy Warhol is correct and, "The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting."