I have known Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness for nearly 14 years — as long as I have been writing this local news website. Over that time, we have had countless conversations, dating back to his days as Fishers Town Manager, through his mayoral campaign, and throughout his tenure as mayor, which began in 2015.

In those conversations, Fadness has consistently returned to one core concern: the life cycle of a city.

Time and again, he has said that a city is either moving forward or moving backward — standing still is not an option, and in many ways is the same as decline. He has often pointed to nearby cities that were once shiny, fast-growing municipalities with everything going for them, only to grow complacent and slowly slide into a downward spiral.

That familiar Scott Fadness was on full display Tuesday during his 2026 State of the City address at the Fishers Event Center. Under the heading “What keeps me up at night,” the mayor laid out his concerns for Fishers’ future — and his plan to keep the city from falling into complacency.

Fishers is riding high right now, and Fadness, rightly so, highlighted a long list of accomplishments. Money magazine and numerous other publications have named Fishers one of the best places to live in America for several consecutive years.

But the mayor made it clear this is precisely the moment when a successful city must guard against complacency. He said he plans to work closely with his staff and the Fishers City Council to develop ideas and strategies to avoid the downward cycle he has watched play out elsewhere.

“I think we have a really good shot — a really good shot — of breaking that cycle, that traditional cycle,” Fadness said.

The mayor also shared an insight he has mentioned in past podcasts with me: that he has learned a great deal from conversations with the dads of the boys he coaches now that his own sons are involved in sports. Those parents, he noted, are often less focused on the day-to-day issues a mayor typically handles and more concerned about days-to day concerns and the broader future their children will inherit — a perspective that has influenced his approach to leadership.

The event opened with a shoutout to State Sen. Kyle Walker, whom Fadness thanked for his tireless work helping shepherd legislation through the Indiana General Assembly that has been important to Fishers.

The address ended on a somber and deeply personal note. Fadness shared details of a conversation with the father of Haley Buzbee, the 17-year-old Hamilton Southeastern High School student who went missing and was later confirmed deceased. He spoke about who Haley was as a person and the positive impact she had on her family and friends.

The mayor asked for no applause at the conclusion of his speech, instead requesting a moment of silence to reflect on Haley’s life. The room fell completely still — you could hear a pin drop — until the lights came back on and the OneZone luncheon crowd quietly began to file out of the Event Center.

It was the right touch to end a State of the City address.