DRWMAG.COM 30 #353 • SEPTEMBER 2018 • 29 YEARS STRONG by COUNCIL MEMBER STEVE BREITKREUZ Well, school is back in session, schedules are crazy once again, and with all the up- coming activities between now and the end of the year the next few months could be a bit of a blur. However, with this busy time coming up, I wanted to take a mo- ment to send out some thank-you wishes. As you may or may not know, I have served on the Town Council for 3 terms – 12 years. However, I made the decision this Spring to not run for re-election for this district seat again. I plan on running for office again in a couple years; however, I am looking forward to having some time away from the office and to just partici- pate as an involved resident again. Every 12 years, you need a break! To say that I have been blessed during this service would be a huge understate- ment. While public service is about the elected individual serving their commu- nity, I have found that I and my family have also been on the receiving end of many warm friendships that probably would not have developed without this public ser- vice. So I wanted to take the time in this article to thank many of those that have been so instrumental in making the last 12 years so very special, and also so produc- tive in getting things accomplished here in the Ranches. At the end of the day, being on the Town Council in the Ranches is all about the residents. I don’t know how other mu- nicipalities work, but here we all gather together at social events, have conver- sations at Publix, and have an extensive web of conversations via phone, text, and email. So, in many ways it becomes a big family, which is how it should be. Serving is all about the residents. To know what is most critical to accomplish, we rely on the resident input. And our residents are not afraid to express their concerns, which is great! It is this resi- dent input that is essential for all of the elements of the town to work together properly. There needs to be accountabil- ity, and the residents are the ultimate tool of accountability.The council is not doing the right things? The residents will come to Town Hall and let us know. The Coun- cil continues to not do the right things? Next election there will be a change. So it is the residents that truly control how the town is run. As I thought about what I wanted to say in this article, I considered pointing out some of the residents that have truly made a difference for ourTown, but there is never enough room to mention every- one. So I will not attempt to name names. However, I do want to thank all that have been involved in so many ways. We have the Town Boards and the in- dividuals that sacrifice their time to work out the details of new ordinances before they come to the Council. Through their efforts, by the time the ordinances appear before the Council, they are well thought out and the major concerns have already been addressed. So for all those that have worked on our Town Boards and continue to work on those Boards, the Town offers to you a very large "thank you". Thank you for your time and service to theTown. Thank you for leaving your imprint on all that the Town has accomplished in its first 18 years. I also want to thank those that have serviced tirelessly with various HOAs in our town. I wrote an article on this a couple months ago, but these HOA volun- teers do not get nearly enough recognition for all that they do, and nearly all of their work is done outside the general sight of the public. And yet their contributions are key to the fabric of our community. Finally, I want to thank the residents who live here, raise their families here, participate as needed or desired, and have chosen to make Southwest Ranches their home. Perhaps like you, I moved to the Ranches before it was the Ranches. It was just unincorporated Broward County. I had no interest in running for office. Our family just took a look at Broward County and made the decision that living in a com- munity of open space, with horses, cattle, and animals of all kinds, was the type of atmosphere that we wanted our three girls to grow up in. So, we moved here from Plantation, and it truly was the best move we could have ever made.This community helped to build their values and contrib- uted to building the foundation that has served each of them well as they now are building their families. So it is the residents – who value this lifestyle, will fight for it when needed, and enjoy it every day – that I thank.Together we have all built this community.Together we will hopefully protect it for the next generation. It is all of the residents of Southwest Ranches that have worked as a community to support our elected lead- ers – and, more importantly, supported the rural lifestyle that we all moved here to enjoy. A lesson from serving 12 years on the Council – "It's all about the residents" OUR TOWN SWR