Laconia residents had a chance to see our local government at work. Last night was the final meeting of the outgoing City Council and inaugural meeting of the new councilors. The only real difference between the two councils is that Brad Fitzgerald stepped down and I took his place.

There was much talk of the teamwork the last City Council had and I look forward to working with this team to continue the forward progress that Laconia is experiencing. Some of the upcoming issues that were mentioned are the addition to the Fire Station; the High School and Huot Tech Center renovations; the Garden Theater; as well as the Memorial Park and Weirs (Lucerne) Park improvements.

There will be many difficulties in achieving these goals. Everyone knows that the new construction, which increases the tax base and helps fuel reductions in the tax rate, is slowing down. I am sure everyone is feeling the crunch of higher energy prices, which makes it harder to pay the bills. I believe that the 2008 - 2009 Laconia City Council can work as a team and overcome these difficulties by thinking outside the box.

The Mayor and other councilors mentioned the comment I made to the Mayor some time back, We need to start construction with a pencil and not a shovel. Planning is the key to success in these projects and I would encourage anyone with ideas that are "outside the box" to post your comments here or to contact me directly by phone (455-0114) or e-mail (greg@knytych.net).

It is exciting to be working on the City Council and it makes me proud to be representing you.