If you were given the opportunity to be mayor of Madison for one day and allowed one wish to be granted, what would you ask for? Would it be better, more efficient roads; a pot of money that we could use to build the needed schools; or maybe more parks and greenways for your family to use? As the mayor of Madison, I thought about this for a while, and do you know what I would ask for?

More community involvement!

When representative from Ballcorps, the owner of our new baseball team, conducted community focus groups early in their naming process, they asked residents to describe our community. Common words that continued to pop up were innovative, industriousness, family-focused, entrepreneurial, smart and strong problem-solvers. I think they nailed it. There is no question these descriptors perfectly describe our community – and as a community leader, I know the more we have residents with these qualities involved in the decision-making process, the better our overall “quality-of-life” product will be.

Unfortunately, each of you reading this is “crazy busy” with work and family activities. Thus, many times you aren’t able to take advantage – or even aware – of opportunities to participate and/or share information with your mayor and city council. So, here are four ways you can take action to engage with your city officials:

  • Take 15 minutes and go to madisonal.gov. Click on “Notify Me” at the top of the home page and sign up for the notifications in the areas that interest you.
  • Also on our city web page, go to our city clerk department and submit an application for one of our city board or committees.
  • Contact me in the mayor’s office at 256-772-5603 and sign up for one of the 30-minute slots we have available for the community.
  • Call our communications specialist Samantha Magnuson at 256-772-5609 to ask for city support at your next HOA, club or community meeting. Whether you would like fire safety, police and emergency relief information or general city questions answered, our team is ready to sit down with you and your neighbors.

Our community is an incredible place to live and raise a family. City government will stay focused on our mission: to provide excellent services through responsible use of your public resources, all in an effort to enhance your quality of life.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to each and every one of you!

 

Mayor Paul Finley