The County Line
- Volume 52, Number 6 - 2008
County employees give so much...
...and are willing to go above-and-beyond in everything they do to ensure good government is working for their citizens 100 percent of the time.
The reporter’s question seemed logical enough, but she had no idea her words would provide us with just the focus we needed to start our new responsibilities with the right sense of urgency.
A moment such as that, one that so clearly defines things for you, seldom comes with any warning. The severe weather sirens aren’t activated. No one yells, “Fore!” so you can duck to avoid a wayward tee shot. Nope. The real moments that put everything in perspective usually are a total surprise.
This one surely was.
Her focus wasn’t anything that should have been all that memorable – questions about a piece of legislation supported by the Association that would bring some transparency and accountability to the process counties follow when borrowing money. Admittedly, the bill is significant in county government circles. But for those on the outside; well, we didn’t expect it to garner a great deal of attention.
Unlike most reporters, as the end of the interview approached, she interjected some thoughts of her own. She commented on the positive impact such legislation could have on the long-range financial future of county government and praised the Association for its foresight and leadership in this area.
Then, she posed the question, “Why are county commissions so willing to put restrictions on themselves?”
There it was. Just like that, she had put the last 20 years of my working career into crystal clear focus. Until then, I’ve never really been able to put into words what has been in my heart. For a couple of weeks I had been sitting in my new place, but until that moment hadn’t found the words to set tone for the new challenges that were all around me.
Then, her question made me realized why getting up in the morning has been so easy for two decades; why driving to work has never been a chore; why I have actually been eager to talk to those folks who call after hours or on weekends and begin the conversation with, “I’m sorry to bother you...” And honestly, why the demands of the new position don’t really seem all that unreasonable.
It’s because the people in county government ARE willing. And, most everybody else is not.
It’s because they are willing to push for the passage of a bill that establishes new requirements on themselves and their financial conduct because it is necessary to restore public confidence. It’s because the people of county government are willing to do that without asking if others are going to join them.
It’s because county employees like Richie Beyer, and dozens of others with him, will work to prepare a grant proposal seeking extra funding to replace decaying county bridges, even though the county where he is engineer doesn’t have a single bridge needing to be replaced.
It’s because folks like Brett Howard, himself a former county emergency management director and now a state employee, will hurry to Geneva County to stand along side his friends as they work in the aftermath of a horrible day of murders.
It’s because county administrators like Roger Rendleman will leave their office and go to other counties to help install and operate new accounting software and labor into the night to finish their own work that was left behind.
It’s because one of the Association’s officers will make the trip to Montgomery to carry out his responsibilities while his grandchild is in the hospital in Birmingham...and never complain or make an excuse.
It’s because 91-year-old James “Pappy” Dunn will come to Washington, D.C., to promote the needs of his community – even though traveling for him is extremely difficult. And, it’s because his fellow commissioners will make the trip at Pappy’s side to ensure everything is just right for their partner.
It’s because as part of this group you never get the opportunity to selfishly gather up all the credit for yourself, but you can be sure you’ll never be left to shoulder the blame alone.
It’s because until you are a part of this group you don’t really understand that the answer to her question is the essence of what we are all about. The people in county government are willing to do what is necessary, even if it is uncomfortable, inconvenient and unpopular.
As a new page is turned for me and for this Association, it is important that we continue to follow the example that has been set for us.
It is important we not lose the desire to lean on someone else and to have someone else lean on us.
It is important we not lose the need to help others who are facing problems that, a few days or months ago, we conquered ourselves.
It is important we not forget our responsibility to rebuild a reputation that has been tarnished or to turn a vocal critic into a supporter of our cause.
And, now that we have everything in focus, it is especially important that we carry the organization forward along the same productive path that it now follows.
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