A new year brings us thoughts of recommencement, fresh starts, and evaluating what we have experienced and accomplished in the recent past.

It is a time for both reflection and consideration of what must be done in the year ahead of us. It’s a great opportunity for advancing our general well being, should we choose to embrace the spirit it embodies.

Our community has experienced much change and endured a few challenges in the past year. Both things are inevitable facts of life, in any year. Overall, we can look back and feel proud of what we are and where we are headed. That’s what matters the most. That we can stand up and say we are who we are, and do it with conviction and a sense of pride.

Our Board of Aldermen welcomes a new member this year, as an old friend moves forward, taking on new challenges of his own.

Civic initiatives, such as the redevelopment of some of our most important city squares and the further development of our public transportation system, have been set in motion and will be moving forward as well.

From the smallest of endeavors, to the greater enterprises that will be pursued, our city is set on making itself even better than before, as it has always done.

That is the very essence of renewal at its best. To take sure and well-conceived plans and make them a reality.

By following this almost sacred tradition we can feel confident that ringing in the new will mean a happier future for us all. And so, may the new year bring us the wisdom and fortitude we need to follow through successfully. We know we can and will.