When I decided to run for Brainerd City Council I did so because I felt our city had a need. We had for a long time traveled down a path that had been guided in a certain direction. I feel safe in admitting that I did not agree with all of the decisions being made, and I felt that it was important for the next generation to step up to the plate. Looking back over this last year I can say am glad I did.
I'm not a man that is easily intimidated, but I will admit that the first few months of sitting in the council's chambers were challenging. The amount of things coming at you could often be overwhelming. I knew what it was I was getting myself into, but I didn't fully understand the scope of things until I stood humbly at the situations feet. After a steep learning curve and now a full year of feeling like I actually understand the ins and outs of the process I want to take the time to say thank you.
I often feel that the people who are most deserving of thanks often receive the least, and one of the advantages of stepping behind the curtain is that you witness first hand all the individuals pulling the strings that help make our progress. In this moment I want to take the time to thank the individuals who truly deserve to be recognized for their efforts in shifting the mindset of our community.
Thank you first to Bruce Buxton and everyone else involved in the River to Rails Initiative. Anyone who was at the recent event or has been involved with this process understands just how powerful this idea is and what it has become. We are lucky to have individuals like Bruce who are willing to give their own personal time in an effort to change narratives and make a difference. Thank you Bruce.
In the same vein I would also like to say thank you to all of the committees and organizations in our area that are far too many to name individually. To all the members of these groups who also continue to volunteer their time and manpower I also say thank you. Without these individuals and groups we would struggle to find ways of manifesting these ideas into reality.
ADVERTISEMENT
I would like to say thank you to local historians like Carl Faust and Andy Walsh, who have went out of their way to document our history and preserve the knowledge of our past so that we may remember where we've been and how far we have come. It is through their efforts and the efforts of those like them that we are able to celebrate the generations of history our city has been built upon.
And finally I would also like to say thank you to our city staff. I know a lot of people say you are just doing your job but you are often working thanklessly in an effort to implement policies from elected officials. We are lucky to have the positive staff that we currently do, and I think that positive attitude has become contagious amongst our other citizens as well. Not every city can say that, and for that I thank you.
As a community we have a lot of hard decisions ahead of us. Whether it's our schools or parking philosophies, we are at a crossroads where a lot of tough conversations need to be started. I understand that some of this will be uncomfortable territory and although we may not all agree on everything it's time we start challenging ourselves to become something more than simply a city.
A city by definition is a collection of buildings, it is defined by its boundaries and it can only become the product of the structures within. A community on the other hand is something far greater. It is made up of the individuals and their ideas and therefore has no boundaries. A community may occupy the same space as a city, but it has the ability to transcend those limitations and create something unique and inspiring.
In all of this what I really want to say is-Thank You Brainerd. Thank you for shifting away from simply being a city and truly striving to become a community.
Badeaux represents Ward 3 on the Brainerd City Council
