Garden County Nebraska

GardenCoNe.com

Oshkosh, Lewellen, Lisco

Mayor: Cynthia S. Talley 305 West 1st Street, Oshkosh NE 69154 Phone: (308) 772-3686 email CTalley@gardencone.com

June 13, 2006

In my moments of quiet, working on projects in the still of an hour doing research; my path has led to Franklin D Roosevelt and Norman Rockwell. Remarkable men, both leaders affecting changes in their time, but with opposite tools. Roosevelt was equipped with words and Rockwell with a paintbrush. Rockwell painted one of his most overtly political and important pieces in response to a speech President Roosevelt gave in 1942. The series of paintings were the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. In these paintings, Rockwell gives us snapshots of a simple room where generations gather for a bountiful Thanksgiving feast, of a dimly lit room where a father and mother tuck their child safely into bed, at a town hall meeting where one man stands tall and proud among his neighbors voicing his view, and of a crowd where every head is bent in fervent prayer. What I have come to love about Rockwell is that he painted the world as he wanted it to be. He painted the American dream we all long for and work toward. He represented the ideal that was inspired by Roosevelt's word painting of the present reality. The time Roosevelt spoke of was filled with Hitler, empires, Nazis, Fascists, domination, conquest, revenge, destruction of material and spiritual centers of civilization, and then determined resolution "that the world would never suffer so again." "Our own objectives are clear;... of establishing and securing freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear everywhere in the world."

As we head into budget planning for the city, we need to take a lesson from both men. From Rockwell, what is the ideal community that we would design? From Roosevelt, what is the current reality? The result should be a blending that gives us a plan to take us where we want to go.

Part of the Roosevelt reality is to look accurately at where each department in the city stands right now. What is that department's income and expenses? This is not about taking from Peter to pay Paul. But what is the true picture of that department? From that analysis, what can be done to address those issues? If a department doesn't have income or very little income, what can be done to supplement that? Are there new and creative ways revenue could be generated? No, it is not the way things have always been. And yes, there are some departments who will never be completely self supporting, but I am asking everyone to think out of the box. Ask questions. Why do we do that? Could we? What if we? For some, this process is very uncomfortable, and that discomfort is shown in various emotional exhibits.

Reality says if we always did what we have always done, we will always get what we always got. The facts are that in a few years our population projections should concern all of us. We all have seen Main Street. We all know what is happening to church and school attendance. We know that employment opportunities are extremely limited. If you lose your job, your choice most of the time is to move. I also know that these are the facts, but in this we have an opportunity that has not existed since the beginning of our town. That opportunity is to create our ideal. Main Street could be almost anything we can imagine. There is plenty of space to create. In that opportunity is challenge. If we are to succeed and become the ideal we dream of where our freedoms are respected and defended, then it is time to begin the work at hand. If you have ideas, dreams, goals, see me at City Hall on Wednesday nights... I'm there until my work is done.

Remember, this is our community. It will be what we make it.

Your mayor.

Cindee Talley