As he prepares to leave office, Mayor Tim Neese has delivered a message for the Elkhart community. His office shared the following:

Neese announced in 2018 that he would not seek a second term as the City’s 37th mayor. While he is looking forward to spending more time with family in the new year, he says what he will miss the most is everyone he has met along the way.

“I have been so fortunate to have built friendships with people, regardless of their political party, who wanted to see me succeed, because they knew my success would be the community’s success,” Neese said. “I’ve often said that while no two days in the Mayor’s Office were the same, they each presented a new opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of our residents. What I could not have anticipated is the level to which they too would enrich my life. The opportunity to serve and represent every resident of the City of Elkhart is an honor I will always be grateful for.”

Although only serving one term, Neese hopes that the initiatives he championed and the investments he made will have a lasting impact. Under Neese’s leadership, the City of Elkhart embraced a 21st Century economic development policy that prioritized investments in quality of place and the attraction of not just jobs, but people.

Among the achievements he is most proud of, Neese cites the public-private collaboration that brought a world-class health and aquatics center, the first large scale market rate apartment investments in nearly 30 years, and the return of an iconic hotel to the City’s downtown. Greater than any individual project, the River District model is one that Neese hopes his successors can replicate throughout the City to bring vibrancy and growth to every neighborhood.

In addition to these notable developments, Neese also lists the 17 percent overall reduction in major crime categories, the attainment of one of the highest Public Protection Classifications awarded to any Indiana city or town, investments in City parks – including the first fully-inclusive public playground in northern Indiana – the ten-fold increase in the number of downtown events, and cash reserves that rival any city in the state as points of pride, all of which Neese insists he could not have done alone.

“Our City employees are a group that has never gotten the credit that they deserve,” Neese said. “Anytime I would attend a downtown event, a groundbreaking ceremony, or even a public meeting, I was keenly aware that none of it would be possible without the men and women working behind the scenes. I’ve not met one of them who does it for the glory, but I’ll never pass up an opportunity to say ‘thank you.’”

As for the future, Neese says regardless of where his next adventure takes him, he is confident it will never compare to serving the residents, businessowners, and employees of the great City of Elkhart.