December 28, 2007
Looking ahead to the new year in Johns Creek

Fellow citizens,

It is my honor, on behalf of our City Council and staff, to extend our warmest wishes for a happy and prosperous new year to you and your loved ones.

I hope this message finds you home safely from any holiday travels, rested and refreshed, looking forward to the year ahead. May we continue to share in the many blessings we enjoyed throughout 2007 and in our journey together through these earliest years in our city's history.

As a community I believe we united in 2007 and took enormous pleasure in the hard work and excitement of seeing our vision become reality and standing up our city. There have been challenges no doubt; however I have great faith that we have built Johns Creek on the firmest foundation as was our community's expectation.

I look forward to many additional accomplishments in 2008 with the start up of our public safety departments and the completion of our Comprehensive Plan.

In time I expect our police and fire departments to rank among the finest in the nation and look forward to their roll out later this year. Meanwhile, I want to express not only my thanks but my highest admiration to the men and women of the Fulton County Police and Fire Departments who continue to serve us through this transition period.

As our Citizen Advisory Committee continues to work through the process of making recommendations for the Comprehensive Plan, I look forward to reviewing their progress with my fellow council members and finally developing a blueprint for our future growth and success.

High on the priority list for 2008 will also be continuing to make infrastructure improvements to our long-neglected roadways. While we are all aware that our traffic problems were years in the making, it is imperative that we address these needs in as expedient a way as finances will allow to ensure the long-term economic health of our city.

Parkland initiatives also are priorities that we will need to lay out in 2008. While this year should see the groundbreaking for the Johns Creek Greenway, I also hope to work with my fellow Council members to launch a major, comprehensive "green" initiative that will position our city as a leader in environmental protection and promotion.

As we move onward through the coming year, it is still my fervent hope that the citizens of Johns Creek who worked so hard and poured so much passion into the formation of our City will continue to step forward to have their voices heard. My belief that the citizens of this city are its shareholders and deserve the fullest report on the best investment of their tax dollars has not wavered. I invite you back, again and again, to our Council Meetings, Town Hall discussions and Web site at www.JohnsCreekGA.gov to share your views. Although we have now laid the foundation to our house, there is still much work to be done in making Johns Creek a home for generations to come. I look forward to joining with you in that work in 2008 and beyond.

Respectfully,

Mike Bodker
Mayor