The Mayor's Corner 01/08/2020

Mayor Diana Thomas

The new year has begun pretty quietly. It looks like this week may bring some winter weather but hopefully we are all ready and can button down the hatches and enjoy our four-seasons community.

I am one of those who enjoy the New Year celebrations on TV so last week was a tradition for me. I like to watch and really appreciate the Rose Parade. It is amazing the skill, work, and time that goes into the floats for a few hours of entertainment and I am sure the money. I miss some of the other parades we used to watch.

I also enjoy watching football but have to admit that three weeks of bowl games is too long for me. There is a bowl game for everything under the sun, including the sun. There are lots of volunteer hours put into all these games and celebrations. Volunteerism keeps all our communities alive. I appreciate all the people in our community who donate their time, skill and efforts to their causes and organizations. They are, indeed, the life blood of our community.

I was pleased to see in the Rose Parade a group and float representing the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which guarantees and protects women’s right to vote. There will be events throughout the year recognizing this anniversary.

The Idaho Women in Leadership (I-WIL) and the Idaho State Historical Society will join to coordinate statewide commemoration and celebration of this event in our state. Their website reminds us of our ‘Courageous Past’. “Idaho can be proud that its courageous past made it the 4th state in our country to give women the right to vote. On November 3, 1896, via Senate Joint Resolution 2, by a vote of nearly two to one in favor (12,126 to 6,282), Idaho changed history, long before the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed on August 18, 1920. Idaho, and the western states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Washington, led the country in the effort of women’s suffrage.”

This is a privilege we should all appreciate and make sure we use. This next year is a big election year so I encourage everyone to get educated throughout the year and exercise the privilege we have to vote.

Well, the time has come. I want to thank all of you who have followed this column for the last eight years. Sometimes I had lots of information and sometimes lots of opinions. I appreciate you listening and your feedback. My goal was to keep our community informed about what was going on in the City and surrounding area. I hope I have done that. Thank you to the Weiser Signal for sticking with me and allowing me the space to share.

Thank you to the citizens of Weiser for giving me the privilege of serving as your mayor for 8 years. I have enjoyed the challenges and the fun we have had. Weiser is a great place to live and I have enjoyed working with an outstanding group of people who serve and care for this community. Thank you, City of Weiser employees. I will miss working with you all each day.

Thank you all for being part of a great and growing community. My best wishes and prayers go with Randy Hibberd and the City Council as they move our community forward.