Contributed by Richard Best
You hear it all the time from folks that have just moved here, just visiting or those who have had to move away. “Palmer is different…” in a good way, but what makes it different?
Palmer has a lot of that Midwestern farm belt work ethic, then throw in some of the pioneering can-do spirit, the small community support, camaraderie, and involvement, add in our rich history and people striving to be good stewards of our surroundings. You wrap that all up with loving families, households, aging communities, and thriving businesses; you might be starting to understand what makes the City of Palmer unique.
This community has many non-profit and faith-based organizations that are focusing on providing information and support for personal growth, educational outreach, family support, health and wellness, recreation, and preserving our history. Groups like Santa Cops and Heroes and Meals on Wheels are outreach organizations for our seniors, and Friends of the Palmer Library support educational programs at the library. We have faith-based, self-improvement organizations like Connect Palmer, helping people to build better lives for themselves. Palmer also has community and safety groups like the Neighborhood Watch program in the Brittany Estates neighborhood. The people involved in these groups are born with a servant's heart and a willingness to craft our community in the image of what they would like it to be.
We have the local government body of the City of Palmer, that provides necessary services of fire, police, and water/sewer. The city is also the governing body as it pertains to the rules on how we conduct our businesses, and to what activities we allow in our residential neighborhoods. The governing body of the Council determines what priorities they spend the property and sale taxes collected through the year. In my years on the Council, we have been able to forecast lean times, choose responsible investments in infrastructure, and balance the growth of bureaucracy, City Government, with services to be provided to the public. While I can extol the virtues of managing our expenses, you will find these very same city employees donating their time in many of these community groups.
Each one of these entities has great importance within our community; not one of them can or should be responsible for them all. I am a firm believer that government solutions are not the answer to all problems or concerns at the local level. In my previous 14 years on Palmer City Council, I have worked hard to bridge governmental support with these non-profit and faith-based organizations to promote growth in the community.
So, I guess this brings me back to “Why is Palmer different…?”
When you get to know the business owners, the employees, the city workers, the retired, and your neighbors, you will find the same good folks involved in these organizations. You will find them helping out with a wash bucket after an event or chatting up someone as to how good we have it here. You will also find great neighbors, giving what time they have, putting up flyers for a fundraiser, visiting new friends at the Pioneer Home, selling raffle tickets for a local event, or reading to a group of children at the library. I guess we are just blessed with so many caring people here in Palmer.
