Tomah Chamber & Visitors Center Newsletter March Newsletter | Page 14

My Town
Have you ever had a dream so big that you can’t sleep? A dream
that was so big you just had to share it? A dream that scared you
just to the point where you thought it could be real?
That’s where I’m at. There is a dream lingering in the air tonight that
is too big for just me to manage, so, I had to share it. I’ve shared this
dream with a small handful other people in this room and I know
that as they read this, they’re smiling a little to themselves right now
wondering if we’ll be able to pull it off. It is that big of a dream. It is my hope, that all stars will soon align and we will be able to
make some announcements within the next few weeks.
Here’s what I can tell you: Our dream is to fill the downtown buildings that are currently unoccupied. Our dream is to use
out-of-the-box techniques to grow our economy. Our dream is to do something so big that Tomah will have no choice but
to stand up and take our turn in the spotlight. This is “our dream” because this isn’t just my vision…it is a vision that is also
lead by our staff and by your board of directors. This shared vision of Tomah’s growth is spearheaded by people you have
voted to represent you and make decisions for the betterment of Tomah on your behalf. We’ve got an amazing group of
people working to move “our dream” forward. If you see a board member today, please take a moment to thank them for
their vision, time and talents.
Truly amazing things can happen and are happening in Tomah. This is evidenced by the amount of construction occurring.
This is evidenced by the TID districts. This is evidenced by the plans for revitalization of downtown including new street
lamps, banner signs, branding and marketing. This is evidenced by the amount of people sharing ideas and, of course,
dreams, and trying to turn those dreams in to reality.
Each day when I awake, I think about how all of the moving parts to this community that we share and our development.
I think to my self, how can I use my resources to make things better? How can I make the right connections, ideas and
decisions to benefit everyone who is sitting in this room tonight? Am I giving Tomah the best that there is in me? This last
question is the most critical to my thought process because I know it is a question that my late father in law used to ask
himself. That question is part of a bigger poem that Ed Thompson used to have etched on a plaque in his office at the Tee
Pee. Please take a moment to read it, I read it every day:
“My town is the place where my house is found, business is located and where my vote is cast. It is where my children
are educated and where my life is. My town has a right to my civic loyalty, it supports me and I should support it. My town
wants my citizenship, not my partisanship. My friendliness, not my dissensions. My sympathy, not my criticism. My intelli-
gence, not my indifference. My town supplies me with protection, trade, friends, education, schools, churches, and the right to
free moral citizenship. It has somethings that are better than others. The best things I should see to make better. The worst
things I should help to suppress. Take it, all in all, it is my town and it is entitled to the best there is in me.”
-Edward John Carson for the Rotarian, January 1920.
Here is my pledge to you, Tomah: While I will make mistakes and do things that you might not always like or understand
(because, let’s face it, I am hopelessly flawed), I will always be trying to turn the big dreams in to reality. I will always be trying
to make the connections and grow this town that we all love. I will always try to serve you in a way that has your best
interests in mind. I will always try to give you the best there is in me.
Give me your big dreams, Tomah. Sleep is overrated anyway.
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