January 17, 2025
Dear Residents and Friends of Leavenworth,
As we step into the New Year, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude and optimism. This past year, like others, has brought its own set of challenges and triumphs for this community.
Leavenworth is not only an iconic Bavarian Village; it is filled with longstanding and newfangled traditions; a place to seek outdoor adventures; a small-town filled with generational stories. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, our diversity as a community is our strength – it is what makes our city a unique and vibrant place to live or visit.
In the face of a national climate that often promotes fear and division, we must choose to see diversity as a gift. As we celebrate the start to 2025, I urge each of us to take this opportunity to reflect on the importance of embracing and celebrating our differences rather than letting them drive a wedge between us. Our varied backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences enrich our community, bringing new perspectives and ideas that help us grow and thrive. Our immigrant community, in particular, plays a vital role in shaping the upper valley and they are an integral contributor to our local economy.
The prospect of a wholesale deportation of undocumented immigrants is something that weighs heavily on my heart. Such a policy, on a national scale, would not only tear families apart but disrupt our own community with potentially devasting impacts to the fabric of this city, this valley, and this region. Many industries in the area, including the hospitality industry of our fair city, as well as the agriculture and construction industries, rely on our local immigrant community to support them. Their contributions to this community and to our local economy are invaluable and without their presence here in the valley our small city would suffer.
Let us reaffirm our commitment to inclusivity, empathy, and mutual respect for one another. Let us stand together to protect and support all members of our community, regardless of their immigration status, race, religion, nationality, color or sexual preference. By doing so, we uphold the value of being a welcoming community to everyone.
Together, we can continue to be a community that is as warm and inviting as the people who call it home. Thank you for choosing to be a part of this wonderful city.
With heartfelt gratitude, I wish you all a prosperous and joyful New Year.
Carl Florea
Mayor | Office of the Mayor
[email protected]
