Last year is now behind us and a brand new year is right in front of us. It is with this fresh start we not only hold out hope, but rather offer a challenge.

We hold out hope for the continued economic improvement in Selma, Dallas County and the Black Belt. We hold out hope our existing industries continue to thrive and add to their labor force.

We hold out hope our industrial and retail recruiters find success this year in bringing to our area new businesses with job opportunities for our neighbors looking for work.

We challenge our elected leaders on the federal level to finally figure out what bipartisanship really means and govern with the least among us in mind.

We challenge our elected leaders on the state level to find ways to better fund our schools without adding burden to the taxpayers. We challenge our state leaders — now under full control of the Republican Party — to remember that Alabama is only as strong as its weakest area, which currently remains the Black Belt region.

We challenge our local leaders representing us in Montgomery to be strong representatives of our causes, our challenges while now working as members of the minority, Democratic Party.

We challenge those leaders at the city level to remain focused on downtown and business development; to remain aggressive in building Selma’s image not only on a regional level but throughout the nation.

We challenge our leaders on the county level to become more aggressive on cleaning up unincorporated areas of the county, removing unwanted junkyards and eyesores that reflect on us all.

To our education leaders, we hold out hope for you in your challenge to teach the next generation of leaders with the smallest of budgets.

The new year brings with it great opportunity and great challenge. Happy New Year.