266 Express
Navigating Small-Town Leadership: A Candid Conversation with Sanger Mayor Thomas Muir
Join the conversation as Sanger's own Mayor Thomas Muir sits down with John Noblitt for a heartfelt look behind the curtain of small-town governance. With his unique blend of humor and dedication, Mayor Muir unpacks the misconceptions surrounding the mayoral role and shares tales from his time conversing with school kids about civic responsibilities. Peek into the balancing act of immediate community needs versus long-term city vision and the strategy behind managing taxpayer dollars with purpose and care—all part of the day in the life of a mayor who truly embodies the spirit of Sanger, Texas.
Our dialogue takes us through the corridors of Sanger City Government and its vibrant economic landscape, where Mayor Muir demystifies the day-to-day workings of the City council and the collaborative efforts that drive the City's growth. Discover the policies shaping Sanger's "When you're here, you're home" charm as we explore the city's initiatives to invite new businesses while cherishing the tight-knit community fabric. Not just a tale of development, this episode reveals how Sanger's community spirit shines bright, especially when banding together during a severe ice storm, illustrating the resilience and involvement that make our town stand out.
Wrapping up, we peer into the future with Sanger's latest collaborations and community improvement endeavors. Mayor Muir gives us the inside scoop on innovative projects like the mock grocery store that's educating high schoolers, the key role of infrastructure in the county bond package, and the city's vision for family-oriented growth. As we close out this episode, we extend an open invitation to those who resonate with the heart of Sanger's mission to join us in nurturing a thriving community that's ready to welcome you home.
You have been listening to The 266 Express, the official podcast of Sanger, TX. IF you have comments or suggestions, please send them to dgreen@sangertexas.org
Join the conversation as Sanger's own Mayor Thomas Muir sits down with John Noblitt for a heartfelt look behind the curtain of small-town governance. With his unique blend of humor and dedication, Mayor Muir unpacks the misconceptions surrounding the mayoral role and shares tales from his time conversing with school kids about civic responsibilities. Peek into the balancing act of immediate community needs versus long-term city vision and the strategy behind managing taxpayer dollars with purpose and care—all part of the day in the life of a mayor who truly embodies the spirit of Sanger, Texas.
Our dialogue takes us through the corridors of Sanger City Government and its vibrant economic landscape, where Mayor Muir demystifies the day-to-day workings of the City council and the collaborative efforts that drive the City's growth. Discover the policies shaping Sanger's "When you're here, you're home" charm as we explore the city's initiatives to invite new businesses while cherishing the tight-knit community fabric. Not just a tale of development, this episode reveals how Sanger's community spirit shines bright, especially when banding together during a severe ice storm, illustrating the resilience and involvement that make our town stand out.
Wrapping up, we peer into the future with Sanger's latest collaborations and community improvement endeavors. Mayor Muir gives us the inside scoop on innovative projects like the mock grocery store that's educating high schoolers, the key role of infrastructure in the county bond package, and the city's vision for family-oriented growth. As we close out this episode, we extend an open invitation to those who resonate with the heart of Sanger's mission to join us in nurturing a thriving community that's ready to welcome you home.
You have been listening to The 266 Express, the official podcast of Sanger, TX. IF you have comments or suggestions, please send them to dgreen@sangertexas.org
Welcome to the 266 Express. I'm John Noblitt, your host today. Co-host Donna Green is out, but I'm not solo today. Today with us, we have Sanger's Mayor. Thomas Muir, Mayor, how are you Doing?
Speaker 2:good, good morning, good morning.
Speaker 1:Sanger. Good morning, Sanger. We're having a great time here.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are.
Speaker 1:I'm the first time I've been here. I'm the first time I've been here. I'm not solo today, so I don't think this will be any different.
Speaker 2:So, mayor, what inspired or motivated you to get involved with city government? Well, you know both my family and my wife's family, Elizabeth, her family. We've lived in Sanger basically forever. We're rooted here, we're invested here. Consequently, we grew up here. That led us to get involved in the city a lot of different ways, right the schools, the churches, community organizations. So kind of my city involvement is just an extension of and kind of a natural outflow of giving back to the town that really invested in me. So glad to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so you serve in a lot of areas. How long have you been mayor here?
Speaker 2:So I was elected mayor in 2010,. So that puts us almost approaching 14 years. I was on council a little bit before that, so about 14 years.
Speaker 1:About 14 years, and so you're involved in the community, you're doing work, you're serving on boards and commissions, through various things. What more took place on your journey to becoming mayor? After that workout?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's probably a long one if you think about it, when you've lived in a town forever. Like I mentioned, I've grown up here. I never left here, even during my college years and my early career years. I graduated from UNT local college, got my master's in tax and even stayed in Sanger and commuted to downtown Dallas to work in one of the big international accounting firms in my early career days, so kind of stayed put even through my early years. Believe me, I understand the challenges of I-35 construction from that era of my life. They were building it back then and then they rebuilt it after. That Never stops, never stops.
Speaker 2:Living here ultimately led me to serve, like I mentioned earlier, several various organizations Lines Club, the Education Foundation, church Work and others just giving back. I ended up on the 4B board in the Planning and Zoning Commission, both of which are really critical to the city's planning and kind of the future and the issues the city is facing. So it kind of helped me see city decision-making early on, before I was even ever on council or in the mayor position, and then ultimately that transitioned into me running for council and ultimately you know the mayor position In that process. Former mayor, the one right before me, joe Higgs asked me to consider running. So it really wasn't a position that I kind of started, you know, looking out with the intent of looking toward. It just kind of was again a natural progression, and it's really several decades in the making.
Speaker 1:So it kind of came over time.
Speaker 2:It's incremental.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's you know. You mentioned two boards there that are critical at 4B, economic development and the Planning and Zoning which deals with actual development, you know, residential and commercial development. Those do tend to be spring boards for people that want to move into the city council at some point in time.
Speaker 1:So the mayor itself? A lot of people don't know what mayors do. I get this question all the time. What does the city manager do? What exactly does a mayor do? Is it a paid position? Do you have another job? How does this work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, what I've tried to do as a mayor is work in tandem with you, the city manager and prior city managers, and the council, obviously, to help with strategic direction of the city.
Speaker 2:You know, prioritizing areas of focus, trying to help make the difficult decisions of allocating funds. I mean we have limited, scarce resources, right, and we've got a multitude of city obligations that require services to keep up and everything running in the short term term while still remaining, you know, focused on that long term strategy and vision for the city. So it's this real balancing act, right. We're cognizant as a council and I know you are as the city manager of taxpayers and the importance of efficient use of funds. I mean, it's taxpayer dollars, right. That leads us to tough decisions because we don't build up this. You know, unlimited amount of resources because that comes from the taxpayers. So we have to take the scarce resources, prioritize those, you know, spend them in the areas that are most urgent and then most strategic over time. You know, if we had an unlimited checkbook, we'd do it all right now.
Speaker 2:You know, that's what I always say. So, but we don't. So we live in that real real world just like we all budget our personal finances and have to choose priorities right. So I help strategically on that front and I think council and everybody understands that. That resources we don't want to overtax in order to maybe accelerate some things. We've got to do it measured along the way. The second part of your question, I think, was you asked if this is a paid position. Have a funny story about that.
Speaker 1:Hopefully it's not too long.
Speaker 2:Several times I've been asked to come into the third grade and do their civic. They have a civics emphasis periodically and so come in and talk about city and what does the city do, and I use a series of numbers and I write these numbers there. They go from largest to smallest on the board and just to intrigue them I don't put the categories of what they're about. It's just numbers, you know, from millions down to the down to zero, right, and they're various things. The first numbers in the millions, that's the city's budget and we talk about the resources and the spending. The next number is a little bit over 9,000. And we talk about that being the population and that's about how big Sanger is. The next number is around 2,500. And that's the population of Sanger when I was in third grade. So I try to step into their shoes and let them see how much Sanger has grown from 2,500 to 9,000. Just in now they of course think I'm old and gray.
Speaker 2:So it's an eternity since I've been in third grade, which is probably mostly true. But anyway, the next number I have on the board is just a little bit under 100. And that's the number of city employees that we have across all our departments and I'll tell them police, fire, streets, parks, library administration, development services, water, wastewater, electric. We do a lot with a very lean staff. I mean, they're kind of amazed by those numbers and all the things we have our hands in. The next number is the number six. That's the number on council. Right, we have a mayor and five council members. The next number is two.
Speaker 2:We talk about how each one of those is elected to a two year term and serves that out when they're voted in right. The last number and this is to get to the answer to the question is zero. That is what the mayor and the council get paid. We're all elected volunteers. I think that even surprises teachers sometimes. I think they don't really realize that. So I walk into that classroom and the kids their eyes are wide. It's like they're seeing the president for the first time. When you leave them and tell them that you make zero, that image has deflated very quickly and you're just a regular old guy. If you're only making zero, they wonder what the heck you're doing. So, anyway, it's a pretty fun way to talk about the fact that we're volunteerism and all the things that are going on in the city and the civic basis. Sorry for the long answer, but it's this funny story.
Speaker 1:That's a great illustration for what you do and what we do yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think, the last one, obviously, if we make zero, yes, I do have to have another job.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately, you know all your council. They all have other jobs and things they're doing. I am a fee only investment management firm. I own it and we do financial planning, retirement planning. I have my CPA and CFP practitioner licenses. My firm helps others with retirement and financial planning, and we manage a publicly traded ETF and exchange traded fund. That's a lot of finance jargon, but anyway, we invest in a basket of securities. So I really think, though, that those strengths the financial and the planning professional background are really quite helpful in assessing the city's direction and needs. So I think it fits real well with the mayor position, yeah.
Speaker 1:Now in your role in your finance company. There you clearly have measures of how you guys are doing and is your company succeeding? Are you succeeding Right? We do that here across departments and even in my office. We have measurements and tools that we use. How do you measure success in your role as mayor?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's probably softer, more qualitative. I know I mean city staff, city manager. We have some very hard metrics we watch, but even y'all are watching some of the qualitative metrics. When I look around town and think about the broader community, I see a vibrant community, I see a growing community. I feel that our community has been a success and continues to take step forward. Doing that, just when you look around I was driving here today and right now it seems like it's orange construction, fence and pylons, orange pylons and barriers and things going on. That's a sign of actual growth coming.
Speaker 2:While it's got some growing pains, I look at it ultimately when those things clear up and clean up, wow, it's going to be really neat and many successful projects. But it's not just council, there's just so many people that make the growth of Sanger happen School leadership, people that are involved in the community, faith-based work, our economic development efforts. I mean this podcast is an example of getting our message out right. Yeah, the list just goes on and on those that are involved in the efforts we're taking. So there's no single person that can take complete ownership of. Hey, it's a successful community because it has been the community that's done in a collaborative effort. So to me that's what success looks like. It's a little bit of broader, it's not so much metrics driven as it is just qualitative in nature, but when I drive around I sense it, and so it's maybe a little softer feel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great and I've talked about that a little bit. Just, in public service in general, we talk about the measures of success and that's one of the things I talked a lot about. In the private sector, you know, you can go off and you might have a good year and get a big bonus, but in the public sector you might get a new swimming pool or splash pad or community building, something to say for the kids and the grandkids for the next 40 years.
Speaker 1:I think that's fantastic. So what do you think the biggest misconception people have about your role as mayor might be, Whether just in general or your responsibilities? Do people get those kind of yeah?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's interesting the perception. I've already mentioned the pay-b-n-zero. I mean most people really don't realize that and we'll set that aside. Some I think I have a big office at City Hall, you know, big desk, big room, those type of things, and when I have, as you know well know, no office at all at City Hall.
Speaker 1:No big offices. Yes, yeah, the city manager.
Speaker 2:You and I meet to get updates pretty routinely and council meets twice a month To take action on everything from small plaques all the way up to multi-million dollar capital improvement projects, right. But the city staff are really what drive, and you know this. But I think it's a misconception. The city staff drive the day-to-day operational burden and decisions that happen on the ground every day. So we set strategy and direction and priority and, yes, we do get down in the weeds in some of those areas, you know, and but in big measure it's the day-to-day is up to y'all. I don't have an office there, you know. So it's that's, I think, a misperception a little bit. We are that type of government form.
Speaker 2:Also, I think some people think council can just make things happen sometimes, right, whether that's developments or retail businesses, they want to come.
Speaker 2:You know, obviously and I hate to even bring it up, but I will, just for the sake of total transparency is, you know, the hottest topic is always the grocery store, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, sanger has been and I just put in quotes here my mind is been open for business, for a quality grocer for some years now and our economic development staff has been out working tirelessly for those, that period of time selling Sanger, getting in front of people, going to trade shows, doing all those things we're now getting enough rooftops that those larger developers they look and see the improvements. You know rooftops FM455 under construction, i-35 getting improved in the future those things have put us on the map, I think, with developers, in addition to all the efforts we've made over the years. So I often say you know, we live in a capitalistic society. When businesses see that there's enough people to support what they're wanting to do, they get interested. And we have done all I think we can do to encourage quality development so that those desired retail amenities that everybody's wanting whether it's grocery store or other things you know, out to eat, other, you know shopping opportunities will locate and singer. But the misconception is we can't make them do it, we can just encourage them to do it.
Speaker 1:And, you know, the council with you at the helm there, mayor, you've done a fantastic job, in my opinion, of setting policy and direction and legislation that supports not just development but quality development and given, given enough direction and enough room for for the day to date, those people you know we've got about 89 of those guys on the ground right now. That to make that happen, being able to have clear direction and know that they're headed the right direction, based on what the council has kind of asked us to do policy wise, is tremendous, and I absolutely agree that we're beginning to see the results of that. And it doesn't happen over or not. You're absolutely right. It takes years for policy to stick and for everybody to that's coming to sing or to want to cooperate and play by some of those rules. Yeah, and sticking to your guns is absolutely we're. Over the next several years, I believe we'll all see quality results based on the work that you and the council put in over the last decade.
Speaker 2:Well, I sure hope so, and we know that work really is never ending and we'll always be facing some some level of growth and issues, and we'll just modify where we're headed and what we're doing at that point.
Speaker 1:So it's very good. It's very good to work with a proactive council rather than a reactive council. So what do you see as far as Sanger? How would you describe Sanger?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I actually love the slogan that came out of the Sanger 2040 comprehensive plan and the marketing branding work that was done there, and I really didn't expect something that I a lot of times consultants, they don't know your town, they're coming in, they come in with a black briefcase, they tell you how they ought to do it you know we ought to do it, and then they go and pick up and leave. But really they came up with a great one and of course that's because of community involvement that they had. But their slogan was when you're here, you're home, and I love that slogan. I think it fits Sanger perfectly. When I think of Sanger, I grew up in. I grew up in, you know it was home. When I think of Sanger, that's over three times that size. You know, from when I grew up and we're still home there's a sense of community that Sanger has been able to maintain. You know, our city rallies around those in need. It rallies around its schools, its sports teams. It helps others when they're in need.
Speaker 2:An example, as I was thinking about this discussion this morning, was just the ice mcgeddon that happened, you know, years ago. Everyone was stranded on the highway, literally just. It was a parking lot in sub, you know, in the zero degree weather, you know ice everywhere and no one could go anywhere. Well, the city employees, the city as a whole, just parts of the community, got out in four wheel drives and four wheelers and tractors and got people into the churches, into other safe places so that they could hang out while all of that came to bear. So our city responds we're a community and we're home, whether it's somebody who's planted their life, maybe like mine, for multi generations, or they're just new to the town, or maybe they're stuck on the highway like in the ice mcgeddon, just passing through. Well, they're part of our community for that time. And so Sanger's been great to have that type of kind of vibe about it and I'm proud that that's, I think, what we would be known for.
Speaker 1:I hope that's what we would be known for we're experiencing some pretty rapid growth and probably and you're very aware of this and over the next several years, we think that that growth could be exponential. You know we're doing everything we can to manage it. I know the council is as well, but what do you believe are the biggest challenges we're facing right now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, challenges and you know I think Sanger's in a natural line of growth. You know, coming down the I-35, you know Metroplex is moving our way naturally. In many ways we're kind of the gateway city or a gateway city into the Metroplex. We're at that apex of the Dallas Fort Worth triangle. You know us and Denton and that it means growth is coming here. You know council just spent two full days at its annual retreat, you know, with the help of staff and directed by staff. You know, reviewing all aspects of the city's plans, the infrastructure, making sure we have a plan to meet that growth. I mean, the growth is a blessing but it's also a challenge. At the same time we kind of set some practical, what I might call to-do list for the top priorities of where we were headed. You know, obviously we won't see completion of 455, but really other things. You know key pieces of infrastructure like Marion and Bell's Road. You know a larger transformers for our electrical substation to handle that type of growth. Some of these things people will see, like the roads, a transformer. They probably won't even understand or see the impact of that.
Speaker 2:We're also looking for sites and a new place for a comprehensive public safety facility on the east side of town, I think you know, finding that site, figuring the financing on that, that's a challenge but it's an opportunity.
Speaker 2:We want to put fire coverage so that it's on both sides of the rail tracks. This facility probably, as you know, our plan would be if we had a vision for it Again, we're talking vision at this point, but it's please fire and probably the courts, so it would be this comprehensive facility citizens could come to and use in. Our emergency responders would have, you know, top quality resources Council has approved, as you know, some of the zoning and use for the larger development that will ultimately house the grocery store in town. We've tried to encourage that development and encourage them to do retail. At the same time they're implementing their residential plan. So we're working to meet that challenge and bring that to ultimately fruition. But we think we're close now. So there's a lot of challenges, there's a lot of priorities, a lot of opportunities come with those things. So it's a double-sided coin, right.
Speaker 1:So your position is an elected official, very front-facing, very public. How do you typically engage with the community to understand their needs and concerns?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think most recently we did this formally, as you know, through the Sanger 2040 comprehensive plan. That did bring an independent outside consultant. Sometimes an outside look is really beneficial because it gives you know what does somebody else think about us, what do they hear when they talk to people around town or the other stakeholders. So we brought them in to facilitate multiple city-wide events, to explore those ideas and what was the city wanting? There was a planning committee, a branding committee. This process included constituents from just many facets of the community schools, churches, community members, business owners. They were all part of that process.
Speaker 2:And then currently, you know, we're undergoing a similar process for the new downtown park that we're looking to develop. It's kind of a venue-type park, you know, I think many concerts, food trucks you know this outdoor events, downtown farmers markets, all of those things could happen in this new type of park and we're trying to drive that growth and revitalization of downtown. So we're asking for people's input in that process currently. But really, where the rubber meets the road is your council and mayor. You're elected to position to represent the people. So we're there to take input, to be available for a phone call, email, whatever it may be, to give input as things just arise. So we have formal processes, sanger 2040, comp plan, the downtown input for the new downtown park, but there's always your representative government that we're here to listen.
Speaker 1:So through these processes I know you guys have heard a lot. What are some initiatives or programs that are in place to foster community involvement? I'm sure some of those may have come from the input that we received.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, you know we try to involve and mention some of the things already that we've involved the community with. It's not a one-time thing, you know. When I think of community involvement I think about all the boards and committees that we, that an individual can volunteer for. You know we often are publicizing, as you know, openings on these boards and we're encouraging people to get involved, get on a board, learn what it's all about, and you know there's probably a board that fits each person's interest and personality. And when we go all the way from planning and zoning and 4a and 4b, they have some very technical rules around them down to parks and libraries where our kids go and learn. I mean that are more fun and soft skills and outdoorsy in nature. So you probably can find a place to plug in People, can, I hope? You know we recently had a luncheon thanking our board volunteers. We so appreciate their service and, by the way, they don't get paid either.
Speaker 1:Just so you're volunteering for the board.
Speaker 2:It is volunteer, but there's lots of places to plug in and to have that community involvement.
Speaker 1:So so, outside of what you do within the community, how do you collaborate with other municipalities, organizations, other other levels of government outside just the municipal government?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, our city obviously works within the broader county and state framework. You know this and you integrate directly all the time with them. But for the sake of our listeners, you know, and I won't be able to touch all of that because we're always in conversations, right, but you know. But some, for instances, there's coordination with emergency services like fire and medical, our fire department and our EMS. We cover one of the largest physical territories within Dent County. We just heard an update from them this past council meeting.
Speaker 2:Right, we go all the way north to Cook County and all the way west to I-th County. You know we have interlocal agreements with the county to help our funding of that coverage area. So that's a good example on the ground of that collaboration that's been going on really for forever, you know, between us and the county. Likewise, we sign a lot of mutual aid agreements where our folks you know our firefighters, ems they go and help other cities in disaster. Even our electrical folks have gone to cities when there's been power lines down and we've placed crew there to help them. Other cities get back up and going.
Speaker 2:So you know, we go to them when they're in need. If we have a need in the future, they will come to us. It's a great collaboration on a broader government scale. Also, we do try to leverage the county's size and resources when we're considering, like our road programs right, we advocated with the county. You know, in two good examples and ones that are at top of people's minds, I think are Marion Road and Bells Road, for instance.
Speaker 2:You know we got that placed with some advocacy on the county bond package. This will bring county funds to bear and instead of having the local tax base have to bear it and cover all those costs. So sometimes that process will take a little more time to play out. I know we'd love to have those two roads, you know, fully completed and done yesterday. But in order to stretch our resources and honor taxpayer monies and use them efficiently, we're trying to make sure that at least some of that county funding that everybody pays in their property taxes ends up coming back to our local area. And one way we do this is getting on those bond programs for those bigger projects, and so that's a collaboration that's ongoing right now and that's an example I thought of with this question.
Speaker 2:And lastly, you know I have gone down to the legislature a few times to try to advocate for issues affecting small cities. You know it's not a lot of what we do, it's pretty, you know just obviously the legislature doesn't meet every year and then sometimes there's not big issues that are immediate effect on us and so we lay back. We're not a very political group but you know we want to go represent the city if it needs representing in those forums. So those are some examples. They just don't even touch the magnitude of some of that cooperation, but good examples that I think people maybe can relate to.
Speaker 1:They are and people don't realize that. You know going down to the state house is a huge deal. A lot of people don't do it. Just showing up down there is a big deal some days. Just showing your face in those halls helps tremendously, even with what most people would consider small things. They're huge to our long term growth and where we're headed. What other successful partnerships do you have that have positively really impacted Sanger?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know the example I think of there and it's really. It is more of a collaborative effort, not just a city only effort. But I think when we think about something that's positively impacted, sanger, I tried to think bigger picture with this when I was thinking about this question in preparation for getting together today. And you know the city was a collaborator in this but others really took a large lead in it. Our town, through its schools, churches and city, received a grant from Texas Health Resources to place a quote grocery store inside the Linda Tud High School to serve as a source of food and to meet some food insecurity issues in our community. That store allows students to learn work experience. They work in the store, they inventory things, they stock it, they restock the shelves, all of those things and they sell things for points. It's not a money-making deal but it's kind of a. It's a mock kind of grocery store but it provides for the needs of the community. Some of those students that are in need and some of the community comes in and uses it when they're looking for food items. It that grant also provides some additional counseling services to the students both in the school and then outside through First Refuge Ministries. It provided food pantry and counseling there in First Refuge. What makes this such a great project is that the school's work and I would say most specifically, just to give credit where it's due, dr Ann Hughes this project gained national and international attention.
Speaker 2:Sanger has received national awards for this program. The program was chosen by Texas Health Resources across all of its other impact regions to put in place because it was so successful. Here they really only chose one focus program to do and to replicate and it was our program. What started as an idea in our community, our community participants, it's become a regional initiative. So when you think about positively impacting Sanger, this one actually reaches even outside of Sanger and goes even further. So when I say it, sanger takes care of its community. This is a great example of that collaboration in our community. This community went faced with some speed bumps in that project because I was involved in some of the meetings on that project. You refuse to let them get in the way and get it set aside. The work through all of those and many in the schools, the community and the faith-based community have made it a reality. It's kind of regional in nature. I'm super proud that we get our. You know that Sanger gets attached to that type of project.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's an outstanding program and we'll put down in the comments if anybody wants to know any more. We actually met and talked about the Linda type program specifically and we can link back to that If anybody wants to hear more about that program it is an incredible program and it is an incredible show of how, sanger is, a community supports community, absolutely. So what is the city council's vision for the city's future and how do you guys plan on achieving that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know that's a tough question. I never want to speak as a sole voice for council, but I believe I have a pretty good feel for what council would say and again, it's somewhat qualitative but I think it gets to the spirit of what council uses when it makes the more detailed decisions it has to make. You know, council wants to encourage quality growth right, and that's maybe different than just random growth, but just quality growth. Growth is coming and we want to manage it smartly and encourage the right mix of quality development. We want businesses to come to Sanger, encourage them to come.
Speaker 2:You know we've always said we want to be a business friendly environment, but that's not at the expense of quality and a family friendly community. Feel Again that slogan when you're, when you're here, you're home. You know, I think we want to try to keep that. I believe council believes in Sanger and that it's a great home for families and that development needs to be quality and community based and and be what everybody would be proud to have here. To the extent we can control it and again we we can do everything we can to put bumpers around it and try to encourage the right things to come.
Speaker 1:and and again, things come when they come, you know so the as far as other successful initiatives that made a difference in the standards of living for the residents of Sanger, do any come to mind?
Speaker 2:You know, when you think about that, I think there's just a overall rewarding kind of environment here, um, the. When you think about I'm trying to think about just standard of living as a whole, the Probably, I would guess, the downtown, not the downtown but the singer sports park that we have on the highway. When I think about standard of living as a whole, I think there's so many people that Use that, we've used it. You know a lot of people out there daily.
Speaker 2:If you drive by on the highway You'll see them walking it. Obviously the softball fields they are used routinely. We've used it for freedom fest, for like big events so that the city as a whole and even visitors have been, have come to. So we're encouraged and economic development with that. It's really almost like a billboard for Singer. When you, if you want to call it that, when you drive down I-35, it feels you know people, I hope they look over there and say, wow, that's a really neat looking park. It's well done. Look at the people on it walking and jogging and you know, with their dogs and and the other things and they go hey, that's a community. That's the type of community I want to be involved in.
Speaker 2:So I think Singer residents see it as quality of life and they have used it extensively. We have plans to do some additional park work right on the opposite side of 35, so I think that will extend even further into the future. So I think it's a. It's a good example of a quality of life initiative. You know most people don't understand 4b board because that's a quality of life initiative and 4b board was Instrumental in some of the funding and and getting that in place along with council's vision, but really the funding mechanism was one of those boards that people can in, you know, being involved in and have an impact on, and it's a Huge standard of living issue.
Speaker 1:So and I you know, I've been in other communities that don't place the emphasis on on those things. I would, I would, I very much appreciate that about you and the council. It's there, we're doing everything, we see it online all the time. Well, hey, why? Why are you doing this when you should be doing that? Or you should really worry about this. Instead of that, we're worrying about it all, and I know the council worries about it.
Speaker 1:I know you worry about it all, but you still don't, you you tend to to Give us the room to operate in the vision, to balance those things, that so that all those things can happen in Do time and usually it's pretty good time. So, with the expansion of Porter Park coming up as well, that's fantastic. The downtown park as a destination park is an incredible vision to help drive development downtown, which ultimately, I think is part of the goal according to the comprehensive plan and the vision of the council that was given to us. And I, you know I don't know that you guys always get enough credit or you get enough credit for Divisionary work that it takes to manage all of these things. So, even though it may appear that we're only focused on this thing, that's not truly the case. We're focused on all of these things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're always trying to, and I've told you as we've sat, you know, we're always trying to push every initiative forward. Some, yeah, some of them, are more forward-facing and some are just Flushing the commodes and turning on the lights and running. You know, making sure the police have the resources to run, and so they're. They're the things sometimes are taken for granted, and I've been in all the mall, yeah.
Speaker 1:I've been in a lot of meetings with you. I've been a lot of meetings with the council and I've never heard anybody on that council say, well, what are you all going to do for us? It's always what are you going to do for our citizens? We're gonna do for our community. There's always. That's a principal aspect of any discussion that we have at any table, I think. I think I benefit from being able to see that behind the scenes and most people don't- thank you, I'm very appreciative of it, mayor, thank you.
Speaker 1:So what is the one thing you wish people knew about? Singer?
Speaker 2:Well, I think singers are hidden, jim, in the midst of a really fast-growing metropolis. Selfishly, you know, I love the singer of past and I love the singer of now, but I know growth is coming right. My wish is that those families that hear about singer would hear that we're a community that cares. If you want to raise your kids in this type of environment and contribute to that community feel, please come right. It's an invitation. We want that type of person be a part of the community that's growing but wants to keep that close-knit feel even with that growth right. I wish people could understand the level of investment and ownership that this community shares. I just want to keep that in mind and so I hope that his family's come, that they will see that you know Feeling and that they will make that same investment a time. I mean there's a lot even outside City personnel and council. We have school and higher up in ministry. Folks that grew up in singer have lived here and chosen to invest their lives in our students and in the Infrastructure in the schools to make it a better place for our kiddos, and so those type of investments are just kind of what I'm I'm proud of and I hope that people will come and see that ownership and investment type climate where you put back into the community.
Speaker 2:You know I'm proud of singer, always have been. That's reason I've kind of been involved like I have and gotten to this, this position, to try to foster that type of pride. You know the school says one town, one tribe. I think our city slogan that says when you're here, your home, I mean those are one in the same, they have the same feel. You know we're one group that's looking out for each other and come to bear when there's needs or Routing each other on or a win for one is a win for another. You know that's what I hope we will build and foster in Sanger and I think that's what's unique about us as we still have a Small-town feel but we're growing and yeah, we're growing but I hope it continues to be that way and I think all of Sanger hopes that same thing for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I think you guys have put it on the right track and, and under your leadership, I think the council has great vision that to help make that happen. Mayor, thank you for coming in today that. Is great hearing from you. You're gonna do it again sometime, I hope.
Speaker 2:I guess. So as soon as, as soon as everybody asked me back, we'll see.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm John noblet. You've been listening to the 266 express. If you get a chance, could you give us a review? Maybe subscribe? We'd love to hear from you, but that's gonna be it for today. Mayor Thomas Muir, in in the house letting us know what's going on in our community and and thank you for listening into what's going in and are going on in our small Texas town.
Speaker 2:Thank you, john appreciate it, thank you.