Becky Beissel

I spent my Sunday afternoon diving into a new book, Your City is Sick by Jeff Siegler. The overarching theme of the book is about the relationship we have with our communities; how they shape us, how we interact with them, and how their well-being impacts our own. Siegler draws an interesting parallel between cities and people, exploring concepts like happiness, self-esteem, and connection.

I’d like to share an excerpt from the opening:

"I have had three major civic relationships in my life. The first was with my hometown and it ended poorly. The second spanned my 30s and we parted amicably. I am in my third now and while we have our problems, I can say I'm mostly happy.

“Like so many, I did not realize I was in a relationship with my hometown. There was very little communication, we seldom saw one another, and to be honest, we barely interacted. I grew up on the outskirts of Lima, a struggling Rust Belt town in Northwest Ohio.

“I was too young to understand how to be a healthy partner and Lima was too damaged to do its part. I don't blame myself or my town for how things turned out. We weren't ready for one another.

“The roots that held our family so securely in place for generations were severed. The businesses we might have inherited had been strangled by the sprawl economy. The beauty of their city was decaying at an accelerating rate. The social fabric had been ripped apart by roads and cars. The pride people once felt and their affection for the place they called home, had been swallowed up by broken glass and heaving sidewalks.

“Decline doesn't stop with concrete and brick, it pervades the people and seeps into society."

I thought this was an interesting way to look at the community you call home. It really is a relationship—one that requires care, attention, and an understanding of how we shape the place we live, and how it, in turn, shapes us.

And just like any relationship, the one we have with our community takes effort, attention, and care. It’s about investing in the places we call home, nurturing what’s already here, and working together to create something better for the next generation.

Ellsworth isn’t perfect—no place is—but we have a strong foundation and a lot to be proud of. The work we do now, whether it’s improving our streets, supporting local businesses, or building new parks, is about keeping our community healthy, vibrant, and a place we’re proud to call home.