It’s that time of year when we start looking back at all we are thankful for.
My “Thank You” list starts out with all our residents who do so much to make Clearfield a wonderful place to live, work, and play. That may seem obvious, but it really hit home with me as we handed out our Yard of the Year awards at a recent city council meeting. So many people seem to have stopped caring about the appearance of their homes/ yards that our code enforcement officers can’t keep up with all the work. We can do all we can to beautify our major corridors, but it is in our neighborhoods where most of us feel connected. As I start thinking that everyone has stopped caring, I am reminded about the many, many people who work hard to keep their yards looking great. It was fun to award three of them, but the list could have been much longer. Thank you to these great people who help raise the appearance of their yards and their neighborhoods!
My next thank you goes to our city staff. It never ceases to amaze me how much our employees care about our city. Most of them don’t live here, but they put in enormous amounts of work to make Clearfield better for each of us. It’s our Public Works employees who spend day & night plowing on a holiday and get up at all hours to fix a broken water pipe so we can shower in the morning. It’s our Parks & Recreation employee’s who ensure our parks are award-worthy, safe, and have safe equipment, run our community theater and arts programs, and work hard to make sure the Clearfield Aquatics & Fitness Center is the best facility around. It’s our police officers and dispatchers who work endless hours to keep us safe and deal with situations that no one should have to face. The list goes on and on, thank you to all of you!
Finally, an enormous thank you to every one of you reading this magazine. The kids at Wasatch Elementary have a chant that says, “WE ARE WASATCH!” Well, my friends, “YOU ARE CLEARFIELD.” I wear my shirts with ‘Mayor’ on them just about everywhere I go because I am proud of the city I represent. Thank you for stopping me in the store, at church, at the movies, or wherever you see me, and saying hello. Serving as Mayor takes me away way too often from my day job that pays my bills and feeds my family, but I couldn’t think of a better place to lose myself in service. I truly do love each and every resident of Clearfield. So, thank you for being you and allowing me to serve you.
Mayor Mark Shepherd