Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone is enjoying family and friends during the holiday season. Over the last several weeks, we have been busy in town with the parade, bed races, and many other Christmas activities. It will be nice to settle down for a few days as the year ends.
As 2024 comes to a close, I would like to recognize a few folks who have been instrumental in making the year a success. Thank you to our retiring Town Manager, Ken Gamble, who has done an excellent job. Ken spearheaded the “All-Star County “ initiative and has been an integral part of the resurgence of the Mocksville Rotary Club. Ken’s leadership and organizational ability have placed the town in a much better position than we were in when he was hired. I wish him the best in retirement.
Thank you to Lynn Trivette for being willing to serve as Interim Manager while the board is working to hire the new Town Manager. Lynn has helped us during transitional periods in the past and has done an excellent job as Finance Administrator for the town over the years. I appreciate her making the drive from Yadkinville each day and helping with various events as needed. She truly cares about Mocksville and our citizens.
I had the opportunity this year at the town Christmas party to sit with some new employees from the town’s Public Works Department. I know there is holiday cheer flowing during this time of year, but it seems that the morale is higher than in years past. Folks were laughing and having a great time of fellowship and conversation between departments. I told the event planners that it was the best Christmas get-together I have attended since becoming Mayor. I appreciate the department heads – Brian Moore, Chris Vaughn, and Frank Carter – for making their departments productive and positive places for folks to come to work each day.
We have a new company coming to town soon – all the way from Lithuania! You will be hearing more details later, but I want to take a moment and thank all of the folks who made this happen. The company management wanted to meet with various municipal departments and community leaders before deciding on Mocksville as their new location. They wanted to learn about local healthcare options, recreational amenities, educational opportunities, and more. After meeting with leaders and representatives from all of these fields, the company was blown away by all that Davie County has to offer. They could not believe what was available to the citizens here. Too often, we take for granted all of the good things right here in front of our faces. It was nice to look through the eyes of “outsiders” to realize what a great place we happen to live in. As an elected official, I hear quite a bit about what is going wrong and things we could do better. If you happen to get the chance in 2025, take a trip. Get out into the world and see how things are in other places. I don’t want us to become complacent and stop moving forward, but sometimes, stepping away for a moment makes us appreciate what we already have.
Merry Christmas, and have a great New Year!!!!
