We asked a few people who work for the community of Matthews to share their thoughts and hopes for 2019. Here’s what Mayor Paul Bailey told us:

Do you have a New Year's resolution? Spend more time focused on the important things in life.

What do you hope for in the new year? Continued health and increased time getting outside and enjoying our parks, greenways, and our great town.

What do you want to leave behind in the old year? Although I spent 41 years doing a job I loved, I will happily leave that behind in 2018. Time for new and different adventures.

What do you see foresee for Matthews in the coming year? We have a number of items I want to address in 2019. Foremost is to resolve the improvements to John St. with NCDOT and solidify the idea of traffic moving around the historic downtown rather than through it; getting the Trade St. bridge construction completed; getting aggressive in finding grants dollars to tie our greenways, bike trails, and sidewalks together to further develop our walkability and connectivity; and continue the vision for our historic downtown by encouraging a balance of residential and business uses so we can continue to see Matthews become a desirable place to live, work and play.