A Magistrate Minute
A Magistrate Minute
from the desk of Ross Haney, Nicholas County 5th District Magistrate
from the desk of Ross Haney, Nicholas County 5th District Magistrate
In what would become his last message to the American people before his death, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” This small snippet was part of a tribute to Thomas Jefferson, someone who had profound and bold hopes for what our country would one day become.
In the field of education, we have a term for what FDR was alluding to: growth mindset. We as educators encourage our students to possess a growth mindset; to believe that the abilities and strengths they are born with are not all they will ever possess. To know that through hard work and perseverance, they can grow and achieve anything they set their minds to.
This concept however is not limited to educators and students. We as people and as members of our communities can carry a growth mindset into what we believe about the future. I’ve heard many people say - and maybe I’ve said it myself a time or two - that Nicholas County’s best days are behind us. And I can see where they could believe that. Over time, with a million ways to bypass Carlisle, it has become a place someone must drive to and not through. It’s easy to think that our small town is what it is and will never be different.
But I would argue that we as a community have so much to be proud of. We can face the fact that we will never be a bustling city like Lexington while at the same time arguing that we have more to offer than meets the eye, and have more than enough room to grow. Since I began serving as a magistrate in January of 2023, I’ve seen so many new businesses open and thrive in our community. I’ve seen several people move their families to our community for the small town feel we can provide. The growth that we’ve made in such a short time has been astounding. Staples of our community and new business ventures as well have served our people well, but it’s not just us who are noticing all the great things our county has to offer.
People flock from out of town to shop at Garrett’s Furniture because they know they have a wide selection with top-notch customer service. Citizens from other cities who want a change in venue come to Carlisle to visit and eat dinner at one of our fantastic restaurants. Wendt’s Wildlife has become a tourist attraction for school groups and individuals from all over (Who would’ve thought ten years ago there’d be camels in the Blackberry Parade?), and those people come into town and spend their money and support our local businesses. Christians come from towns near and far to join Nicholas Countians for worship in our welcoming churches. And after the Carlisle-Nicholas County Tourism Board started putting skeletons all over town and memory trees up in the courthouse lawn, you started to notice them popping up in other cities too (of course not coming close to the size of what we’ve done). It seems like more and more is coming to our already great community that we have to be proud of. And we can stop here - by why?
None of the above would have ever happened if the people of our community hadn’t been willing to accept change as it came their way - if they hadn’t been willing to accept new ideas and welcome new people with open arms. In the coming years, I encourage everyone to continue to embrace change, encourage new ventures, and think “Why not us?” The kind people in our community deserve everything this world has to offer just as much as anyone else. Together, if we try, I truly believe Nicholas County’s best days are only ahead of us.