Introduction

"Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town"

Substitute New Albany for small town (because we can't quite call New Albany a small town) and you have my story. I was born and raised here and I have lived here my entire life.

New Albany has a reputation for being a place where mediocrity is tolerated and where no one really expects anything to change, especially not for the better. I am tired of settling for mediocrity. Amazingly, over the past few months I have discovered that I am not alone.

There are people in New Albany/Floyd county who are doing their best to establish and maintain viable businesses, preserve historic buildings, protect the environment, clean up and improve older neighborhoods, and revitalize downtown. These are intelligent people who are not only passionate about what they believe in but are determined to do their best to see their visions realized.

Our elected officials should take note that for these people it IS about passion for the community and desire for improvement and not about political aspirations. These are not partisan issues and the citizens who are becoming activists for their causes are becoming political because they must in order to effect change.

We need leadership and a workable plan but in the meantime I hope that I will be able to pull together some ideas and information that could spark creative thinking and be useful in crafting a plan.