Follow The Buzzards

Hello friends! I hope everyone is doing well. Me? Honestly, I’m doing better than I have in a long time — aside from needing to lose a few pounds. I’m happy, I’m free, and I’m enjoying life again.

As everyone knows by now, my days in tourism are over. Looking back, I truly enjoyed that role and I feel proud of what we accomplished for Manchester and Clay County. We brought attention to our area, created excitement, pushed ideas forward and showed people there’s something special here worth believing in.

At the same time, I also know when something has run its course.

The truth is, the position just wasn’t the right fit anymore with the current board. Sometimes personalities, visions and philosophies simply don’t line up. That happens in business, government and life. I’ve always been someone who sees things differently. I like taking risks, thinking creatively and pushing outside the normal boundaries. Not everyone understands that style, and that’s okay.

In many ways, it became old school versus new school. Structure versus freedom. Tradition versus trying something different. But that tension exists everywhere, especially in small towns where people often expect you to stay inside a certain box.

Here in Clay County, if you don’t always conform, people tend to look at you a little sideways. But I’ve also learned something over the years — many people who leave or get pushed aside often go on to find success beyond what anyone imagined for them. Sometimes distance creates clarity.

As for me, I think I’ll stick around awhile and continue being the local enigma.

One thing life has taught me is that you have to think several steps ahead. Planning matters. Protecting yourself matters. Understanding how systems work matters. Some lessons are learned the easy way and some the hard way, but either way, you learn.

Ironically, this entire experience has already opened other doors. I’ve been invited to speak with other local governments about contracts, leadership transitions and organizational structure because situations like this rarely play out publicly in small-town government. Life has a funny way of turning setbacks into opportunities.

And whether people want to admit it or not, change is coming to communities everywhere — even here. You could feel it during the last election cycle. People want new energy, fresh ideas and leaders willing to communicate differently than in the past. That doesn’t mean abandoning tradition. It simply means communities evolve.

At the end of the day, though, I still love this place. I love the mountains, the people, the stories and the weird little magic Clay County has always had. No matter what role I hold — or don’t hold — I’ll always believe this community has potential far bigger than most people realize.

So for now, I’ll keep living life, supporting good people, chasing new adventures and trying to spread a little positivity along the way.

And as always… Follow The Buzzards.