BRAINERD — Brainerd has momentum.

That’s the crux of the state of the city address Mayor Dave Badeaux gave at the City Council meeting Monday, Jan. 3, as words of encouragement and gratitude to Brainerd residents and business owners.

The full address is as follows:

“It’s an exciting time to be a part of the city of Brainerd.

“This last year we celebrated our 150th Anniversary. We did so by gathering and looking back on the past that has created the strong foundation we have as a community. In doing so, we were able to highlight what has made us such a special area over our decades past, and we drew upon the generations of history we hold to look forward to the future for what that will bring. However, in this year of celebration we also found ourselves moving forward at an impressive pace.

“Be the best version of Brainerd. This is the mantra that we hold as a city. Not to be what anyone else has become, not to concern ourselves with what those around us measure themselves against, but rather to focus our visions internally and to strive to truly understand what makes us unique and what sets us apart. That is no small task. In a world where digital marketing is king and our lives are manipulated to keep our eyes busier than our hands, to truly pause and identify what our strengths and weaknesses are can be challenging. Yet we as a community have proven we are up to that task.

“I have witnessed and experienced this mentality firsthand. From the entrepreneurs and business owners leading the charge in our historic downtown, to the environment that is being cultivated at the Northern Pacific Event Center, and the continued growth of each of our historic neighborhoods with the businesses within each. What we are seeing in our city is a wave of momentum. That momentum is not because of City Hall (That is not the job of the government).

“It is led by the people who get up every day and flip over the open signs and sweep off the sidewalk to welcome in new business. It is led by the workers who fill up their coffee mug as they head out the door on their way to work, and it is led by the members of the community who go above and beyond to make the day to day lives of those around them just a little bit better. We in Brainerd are blessed with an abundance of doers and the overwhelming support of those who help along the way. That is what is setting us apart.

“In the last year we have come a long way. It takes doing the small things right again and again to make the biggest differences. We as a city have come so far in such a short time. However, we are nowhere near where I know we will be. As we close out this 150th year of our existence I want to champion those among us that are leading the way by doing these small things right each and every day. It is because of you that we are riding this powerful wave of momentum and it is because of you that we can continue to strive to be the best version of Brainerd.”