Greetings, I hope this letter nds you well.

Its hard to believe that we are already moving into 2013! e turning of a new year provides a great opportunity to look back over the recent past and forward to whats on the horizon. One thing Im certain of as I re ect on 2012, is that I love this job. It humbles me daily while providing a fantastic opportunity to make a positive impact on this place that we live. ere have been many of small successes, the simple gi s which have made this position so rewarding; addressing the children of Washburn at the Week of the Young Child celebration at City Hall and planting fruit trees with those same students a week later; hearing people appreciate the new downspout on the artesian well or the orange pedestrian ags at our busy intersections; watching some of our downtown buildings receive much needed faceli s; receiving the rst indications that our treatment plant was functioning well again; the meals with citizens sharing ideas and concerns; and truly enjoying the way our council and sta work together at council meetings to seek the best solutions for our city. It has been a rewarding year! Of course theres always two sides to every coin. One of the challenges has been understanding the balance between the roles of the city, the mayor, and the citizens. Economic development provides a great example. e citys role is to provide a zoning code that is easy to understand, predictable and fair; to improve infrastructure, parks and greenspace with the goal of improving quality of life for our residents and therefore attracting investment. e city provides some small funding opportunities through our revolving loan funds and is accountable for the strategic creation and responsible management of TIF districts and our business park. As the mayor, I help to set a tone and provide a vision of where the city is going. I connect the dots between good ideas, people and locations. I look for gaps in whats existing and nd opportunities to highlight the assets that we have in abundance. I look at whats happening in other small towns around the world and gure out how those ideas t in Washburn. is research has helped me shape ideas for speci c businesses that I believe would be a good t for Washburn; businesses that could bolster our downtown, plug leaks in our local economy and provide opportunities for new businesses to emerge. But this is where my challenge lies; where it becomes clear that, as much as I want to, I cant do it all. ese businesses are not ventures for the city to initiate; they are not for the mayor to start. Businesses are in the realm of the citizens. Economic development cannot be done by the city alone; it requires the motivation, innovation and hard work of private citizens, of people who have ideas and are willing to bring those ideas to fruition. Grass roots community economic development requires people like YOU to take courageous steps. One of my roles as mayor is to court the job creators, to provide economic vibrancy and opportunity. Today, I am courting you. I believe that those of us who call Washburn home, who already love this place, are the ones who must understand our power and our ability to create the change that we want to see. Whats standing in the way of you creating livelihoods and opportunities for yourself and others? Too o en, we wait for someone else to take the initiative and the risk of starting that new business; but if not you, then who? If you have an idea, but dont know how to get started, Id love to be your sounding board. If you have the time and energy to get something o the ground, but dont have the right idea to get behind, Id love to help you gure out where to pour your energy. Is 2013 your year to try something big? We will continue to court companies to locate here and provide opportunity and additional amenities, but its time to understand that we have everything we need to create those opportunities for ourselves. We are the ones weve been waiting for. I hope that 2013 brings you a wealth of peace, prosperity, health and happiness. Best Regards and Happy New Year,

Scott Gri ths, Mayor