Dear Neighbor:

Happy New Year! I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Holiday season.

As we begin 2012, I continue to be honored to be your Mayor and am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Fitchburg in the year ahead.

I look forward to working with city, community and business leaders in continuing to build on the economic successes we had in 2011, like the groundbreaking of the $100 million Promega expansion and the new Highway 14 Interchange, by focusing our economic development efforts on reinvesting in key parts of our city such as the North Fish Hatchery Road and Highway 18/151/McKee Road corridors. We will also complete the Forward Fitchburg project that will give our city a brand and economic and strategic vision to compete not only in Dane County but also in Wisconsin, the United States and throughout the world.

I still realize that many of our residents are still felling the impacts of a lingering downturn in the national economy. That is why it is so important that we, as city leaders not only work collaboratively to improve our city's economy but also to provide essential services that the public expects at a price that they can afford. I look forward to the new addition to the Senior Center, skating on the new ice rink in the Jamestown-Huegel Park, continuing to use the library and working with other community leaders in making Fitchburg an even better place to live, work, raise a family and retire.

There are many positive things that are happening in Fitchburg. I firmly believe that we have positioned ourselves in the last year to take advantage of a hopeful uptick in the economy to make 2012 even busier and more exciting.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me through my assistant Marcie "Rekowski" Webster at Marcie.rekowski@city.fitchburg.wi.us or at (608)270-4213.

Sincerely,

Shawn Pfaff

Mayor