by KAREN LAGRANGE COX
Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter must have unity and teamwork in his DNA as he continually proves there is no “I” in team.
At Ritter’s Inaugural Address at this past Saturday’s oath of offices for city officials and the ribbon cutting for Youngsville Municipal Complex, he acknowledged the Youngsville team is more than he as mayor but also includes the city council and city staff of Youngsville. Additionally, Ritter stressed the residents and taxpayers of Youngsville are part of the Youngsville team – they are who he and those in city government work for. Everyone working together makes up the team who contributes to the success Youngsville has today.
Ritter does not forget those who are no longer here today as part of the success of Youngsville. The contributions of his predecessors, past city leaders, past city staff and past city residents all receive credit in Ritter’s eyes.
All progress takes time and money. It is important not to rush, but important to ensure the job is done and done right. Ritter illustrated this during his Inaugural Address when speaking of the building of the Youngsville Municipal Complex. Instead of rushing they ensured the timing was right. As a result, Youngsville got an efficient, beautiful new complex to serve the needs of the city government and its residents.
With Ritter and the Youngsville team, they see the vision of what is needed to keep Youngsville going for the present and for the future. Plans are put in place and implemented to ensure Youngsville continues to flourish. Roads are built, repaired or expanded to accommodate the growth of the city. Ritter has said many times the city must keep up with the growth of the city by ensuring the infrastructure keeps up with the growth of the city. Recreation is seen as a right and not as a maybe for its residents. These all help to continue the progress in Youngsville in being a desirable place to live and give its residents the quality of life they all deserve.
Preserving the past while keeping pace with the future is part of what Ritter considers when making plans. An example of this is when the new Youngsville Municipal Complex was built, it had to be built around the oak tree next to it to preserve the tree. The same is true when the gas station was built across the clock roundabout from the complex; the gas station could not remove the oak tree on the property.
Leaving out personal agendas, Ritter and city council members – Kayla Menard Reaux, Lindy Bolgiano, Matt Romero, Ken Stansbury and Simone Champagne – collaborated to do what they were all elected to do for the benefit of Youngsville and its people.
With the leadership and a team partner like Ritter, it is not surprising why Youngsville has become the city that it has become under his role as mayor. This applause goes out to not only Ritter. The applause is for all of Youngsville.
