Auburn, Indiana

dollar downtown streetscape upgrade,which Yoder says encouraged another group of area business owners to want to join the revitalization effort.“So, we did another block in partnership with them– new sidewalks, new lighting, burying utility poles –to bring it into the 21st century,”he states.“This struck a chord of pride within the community, and they’re looking to the future and not just complain- ing about the past.” Another local business,TeamQuality Services, has plans to build a new, 15,000-sq.-ft. building on the footprint of an older downtown building that’s beyond restoration because the materials of which it was built have deteriorated beyond the point of saving.“They’re going to locate their employees on the second floor and open up a possible restaurant or retail or office space on the first floor and bring that vitality into downtown,” says Yoder. But living in the present is only part of Yoder’s governing paradigm, and as the Mayor previously stated, preparing for the future is also high on his agenda.“I’ve always approached government as a