March 28, 2005

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

I write to you this week wanting to say thank you to the citizens of our state. It has been just more than sixty days since I stood before the members of our State Legislature to take the oath of office. From day one, it was important to me that I have an opportunity to travel to all parts of the state to say in person how grateful I am to have the chance to serve the people of Nebraska as Governor.

That first day I visited Scottsbluff Gering and Sidney. One week later, after delivering my State of the State address, I traveled to every corner of the state to outline my vision and priorities for the coming year. From Falls City and South Sioux City to Valentine and North Platte, and several towns in between, I had the chance to meet and speak with many Nebraskans. Late in the afternoon during the first day of the State of State Tour, I stopped in McCook and was surprised to find a crowded airport full of people waiting to say hello.

What I have found across Nebraska is a new sense of optimism and enthusiasm for the future. I truly believe that our best days are still ahead of us. A priority for me is working to ensure a brighter future for our children and grandchildren. It is critical that we provide them with the best possible education, and that they have access to good high-paying job opportunities after they complete their education. Clearly education is vital to the success of future generations, just as new jobs are key to the long term success of our state.

We can all agree that providing a quality education should be part of our ongoing commitment to students of all ages in Nebraska. It is an investment in our future, just as more quality jobs are also an investment in that future.

A recent visit to the town of Atkinson stands out in my mind. This north-central Nebraska community is actively pursuing new business development. I attended a ground breaking for a business expansion project that will help create 21 jobs, which will have an outstanding impact on the local economy. While I was there, I toured the local hospital that is just beginning a major expansion and visited the site of a future city library. Several residents spoke enthusiastically about building an ethanol plant. I was impressed, not only by the dedication and commitment to planning, but the success of local partnerships in pursuing projects that will help Atkinson, a community of 1,244 people, continue to grow.

There have been many other memorable events. Hosting this year’s Governor’s Ag Conference in Kearney, touring the country’s largest biocontainment unit in Omaha, and visiting with the many groups meeting in Lincoln during the legislative session on issues facing our state have been important moments during my first few weeks as Governor.

In my remarks after taking the oath of office, I said that I intended to reach out from border to border to hear first-hand from our citizens their thoughts, concerns and ideas for our state. That has been my guiding principle, and I have crisscrossed the state meeting with local leaders, elected officials, business groups, and schools.

I appreciate the opportunity to hear from so many Nebraskans. I’d like to close by saying thank you to all those who have taken the time to share their thoughts by sending me a letter or an e-mail. I said I would read every one and I have done that. Your ideas have been very helpful to me. Thank you.