Cicero, IN – The Cicero Town Council wants to continue to be proactive about providing an improved quality of life for its residents, a place for businesses to thrive, and a destination for visitors. With that goal in mind, the Town Council has held three Council meetings so far this year, and this past Saturday gathered for a Council Retreat focusing on plans and projects for 2016. Town Council members are: Brett Foster, Town Council President with over 14 years of experience on the Council; Chad Amos, Town Council Vice President with over 1 year of experience on the Council; and new Council members Chris Lutz, Rusty Miller, and Craig Penwell.
The reason why each Town Council member decided to run for office was the same; their love for Cicero. Each member brings a different background and set of skills that will be valuable as the town continues to plan for its future.
“With two children going through the Hamilton Heights school system, and all of my extended family living here, I wanted to be directly involved in making decisions to help make our quality of life in Cicero even better,” stated Brett Foster, Town Council President. “Our Public Safety, Parks, Planning, and Street Departments are all exceptional for a town of our size. We also have many citizens who donate a lot of their own personal time. Many of them are on small committees or groups, which lay some great groundwork for Town projects and growth. I am proud to say that we have a balanced budget and some great projects ahead. I believe that our future looks very bright, and I am very grateful and blessed to be serving this community.”
Chad Amos, Town Council Vice President, has learned so much from his first year on the Council and feels honored to have an opportunity to serve an additional four years for a community he loves. “What I have learned in the past year on the Council is that there are several people who want to be involved and volunteer their own personal time to see our town succeed. The town employees work extremely hard and take pride in everything that they do, which helps improve the overall quality of life in Cicero,” stated Amos. “My goal is to continue working with redevelopment projects throughout the town and cultivating new development opportunities in other areas of the community. I want to draw more of those unique one of a kind businesses and restaurants to our community that will make us a culinary destination.”
New Council member Chris Lutz agrees with the importance of providing an improved quality of life for the residents of Cicero and providing amenities that will continue to bring people to the community. “I want Cicero to continue to maintain the unique character that drew my family to this area and why we call it home,” Lutz said. “The small town charm, excellent schools, and peace of mind that comes with living in a safe community are just a few of those characteristics. I agree with my fellow Council members, that as we move forward with projects, we also need to be fiscally responsible. Part of that will involve prioritizing projects and determining what project makes sense for the community and would be a good fit for the vision of who we want to become in the future. We will look for various funding resources for the projects that we do believe are a good fit for our community and determine ways we can help those projects move forward. The next four years will be exciting years for Cicero and I am grateful to have a chance to be part of this potential growth.”
Rusty Miller, also one of Cicero’s new Council members, believes that Cicero has some advantages that many other like sized communities do not. “We are fortunate to have a lake, the train brings people to our community in the summer, we have a great park with Red Bridge, we have some of the best restaurants and businesses around, and we have so many passionate people in our community who are willing to step up and lend a helping hand to make this a great community,” explained Miller. “We know that we have these great destinations, so now our goal is to collaborate with others in our community and region to develop opportunities for Cicero to become a destination for businesses, residents, and visitors. I love Cicero and I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the community and help develop plans for the future.”
In his first year on the Council, Craig Penwell appreciates having an opportunity to bring about some of the changes that will make Cicero an even better community and destination. “As a Cicero resident and local business owner, our town’s future is very important to me and my family. The next several years will play a big part in shaping that future,” stated Penwell. “Our parks, the reservoir, and our growing perception as a culinary destination give Cicero much to offer. Our community is unique with what assets we have available and as we plan for our future, we want to maintain the small town charm Cicero offers and focus on projects that will continue to enhance those assets. We want to encourage residents, business owners, and others to join us at our meetings to help shape the vision of our great community.”
The public is welcome to attend Town Council meetings, which meet at 7:00pm the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at Town Hall. There is so much to look forward to in the next four years and having the community’s input will be valuable as the Council continues to put together plans for the future.