Politics & Government

A Message From The Mayor

Here is Creve Coeur Mayor Barry Glantz's August column, courtesy of the city's monthly newsletter.

Henry Ford onceΒ said, β€œWhetherΒ you think you canΒ or whether youΒ think you can’t,Β you’re right.” Β 

I thought about this quote as my familyΒ and I were watching the OlympicsΒ recently. Millions of us observe theΒ experience of an athlete smilingΒ with success, or the tears of failure,Β gritted teeth set in determination, theΒ graciousness of victory and the dignityΒ of those who came up shorter thanΒ what they had dreamed – but on thisΒ world stage, with tremendously talentedΒ athletes exemplifying incredibleΒ individual excellence, it is hard not toΒ recognize that the collective OlympicΒ experience is so much greater than eachΒ participant.Β 

Years of commitment, hard work andΒ diligence from many people haveΒ enabled these athletes to reach theΒ Olympic milestone. While individualsΒ are competing, they have not gotten toΒ this point on their own or without theΒ strong belief that they, in fact, COULD.

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Few of us will ever compete on aΒ stage this large – yet in our ownΒ community, we see the positiveΒ results of people working togetherΒ and believing in their abilities to turnΒ concepts into reality. For example,Β the Arts Commission,Β working collaboratively with theΒ Planning and Zoning Commission andΒ City Council, have been persistentlyΒ  to be builtΒ in the β€œheart” of our city – a sculptureΒ with a purpose and an upcoming,Β unique addition to the aesthetics ofΒ our community. I look forward toΒ this vision becoming a part of ourΒ community in the near future!Β 

As mayor, one of the things that I haveΒ been enjoying most is listening to theΒ suggestions and ideas of our citizensΒ - as this is where opportunities begin.Β Some people have discussed loftyΒ goals for our community while othersΒ have shared visions that may seem toΒ be a far reach. I have come to realizeΒ that most sights for which we aim areΒ attainable, particularly when we haveΒ the reinforcement of so many talentedΒ people around us.

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Leading our city may not be equal toΒ the rigors of managing an automotiveΒ company or as intense as participatingΒ in the Olympic games, but the conceptsΒ of accomplishment and success remainΒ the same...and by the way, I happen toΒ think we can!

Barry Glantz, Mayor

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