Thank You

To all of you who turned out last night for the teach-in.

To all of you who e-mailed your support for the efforts and the demonstration of civil debate.

To all of you who sent word by other means, expressing your support.

To the courageous monitors who braved the storm inside the council chamber.

To the stalwarts who stayed with us outdoors.

To the city workers and city officials who were kind enough to address our gathering and hear our concerns.

To the hundreds who blew their horns, waved, and yelled out their support.

To the visionaries who provided and erected our visual art.

To the many city employees and others who would be affected by sudden layoffs and dramatic cuts in city services, but were unable for fear of retribution, to join us.

To the supporters of Scribner Place and downtown revitalization.

To the volunteers working to make the YMCA a reality.

To the citizens concerned for the welfare of abandoned animals.

And finally, to the organizing committee of the CFP:
Rick and Karen Carmickle
Jeffrey and Karen Gillenwater
Jim and Tabitha Sprigler
Roger and Diana Baylor
Greg Roberts
all of the others who would have willingly been part of the organizing committee had we asked,

and most of all to my brilliant wife, Ann Baumgartle Smith. I love you, honey.

In the face of an orchestrated plan of diversion by those who look into New Albany's future and see only doom, by those who believe that a city cannot change, these folks made an effective demonstration that there is in this city a constituency that will support vision, will applaud responsibility, and will expose dilatory and self-serving attempts to confuse the residents of this historic city.

Constituency for Progress, welcome to New Albany.