Our wishes for coming year (1/5/03)

With bowl games and holiday parades fading into memory, the new year stretches ahead, full of promise, opportunity, and challenges.

In the spirit of the season, here are our New Year’s wishes for 2004.

For new mayors Bruce Hosier and Sam Hubbard, we wish both energy and patience. Both are needed when it comes to city government.

Energy and enthusiasm are important for getting things done, while patience reminds us that change is more often incremental than overnight.

For the local economy, we wish a renewed period of optimism and growth in both the industrial and commercial sectors.

While there’s been success in recent years in diversifying the industrial base, we’d like to see even greater success in the area of retail and commercial development in the year ahead.

For area farmers, we wish a growing season free of the extremes of flood and drought which seem to have been our lot the past few years.

For local governing councils and boards, we wish a commitment to listen to one another in 2004, putting aside the feuds and fights that marred much of 2003. (Are you listening, Redkey?)

For area downtowns, we wish renewal and redevelopment. For those involved in bringing that renewal and redevelopment about, we wish creativity, flexibility, and new insights.

For coalition forces in Iraq, we wish security; and for the people of Iraq, we wish a smoother, swifter transfer of power to your hands.

For local Indiana National Guard troops heading to Bosnia, we wish a mission accomplished and a safe return home.

For all our readers, we wish the best that the new year has to offer, a clean slate, a fresh start, and a chance to make a difference. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]