1. This won’t be a “blog” per se. It isn’t meant to be a place to post all commentary or opinions. Everyone is invited to send in a note, but don’t be offended if it isn’t posted. There’s other sites that are perfectly content to drag through what they believe to be wrong with every issue at every turn. This is about what was done, why and where do we go from here. We won’t talk about two and three year old issues. If the desire is to engage in those discussions then look somewhere else.

2. This isn’t the Board of Commissioner forum. MJ has a City Manager form of government. The Board makes policy; the staff implements. I’ll be happy to pass your comments along to the Board, either good or bad, but the intent of this medium is to address how we could better enact policy and improve city services.

3. The narratives will be directly from me, your city manager. I won’t hide under some pseudonym or other persona. My name is Randy Robertson. My phone number is 754-2552. I am your City Manager. If your issue or concerns involves another department of the city (Public Works, Police, Animal Control, etc.) I will invite the appropriate team member to provide some comments, but it will still be done under the auspices of the City Manager.

4. I will try and be as timely as possible, but this is another one of the “additional duties” for which civil service is renown.

5. The City Staff is here for you. The desired outcome is for us to have a positive relationship with the citizens we serve, but we all know that always won’t happen. Everyone has an opinion. It is the staff’s responsibility to work through the opinions and emotion, meet the requirements of the laws and rules under which we operate, and hopefully serve the greatest number in that process. It is not an exact science. The more we have a relationship with you, the better we can meet your expectations.

6. Finally, this is about telling our story. Hopefully you will be able to sort the myth from reality or see the issue through a different set of lens. I hope you will find this of value and participate.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Update: 11/07/08

Hello MJ:

I appreciate the mostly favorable comments passed to me regarding starting a blog. If you do a data search on “city managers blogs” you’ll see it is fairly common. Again, I hope it will serve as a means to keep you, the MJ community, better informed about events and issues within the city.

There’s been a couple of recent incidents in our park system that I want to bring to your attention. The first involved vandalism at the South MJ Park (off Belinda Parkway) a couple weeks ago. One or more individuals spray painted obscenities on the pavilion floor and walking path. While the Parks crew removed what they could, there’s some residual damage that cannot be cleaned without extensive work, and the clean-up has taken hundreds of dollars in manpower, time and equipment. Chief Garrett’s force is actively working the crime and has some leads. The other incident involved a couple high school aged boys who were fighting at one of the Pavilions at Charlie Daniels Park this week. The fight not only involved those two, but extended to a couple Parks staffers who were trying to break it up. The Rec Center members were assaulted and one of the perpetrators was taken into custody by the MJPD.

I note this for two reasons . . . the first, there is a zero tolerance policy as it relates to fighting in or at any city facility, or an assault against a civil servant. We simply will not go there. Second, we need your help in clamping down on abuses to city property. As a taxpayer, a theft or vandalism to any city owned property or vehicle is a crime against you; it takes your tax dollars to repair or replace. If you have any information on what happened in South Mt. Juliet Park, I encourage you to use the Police Action Line that is a menu item on the city web. It is totally anonymous. You can also simply call the MJPD Dispatcher at 754-2550. Chief Garrett has authorized a reward if the information leads to solving this crime. Thanks

Finally, on behalf of the City Staff we want to welcome Commissioner Ted Floyd to the Board. Ted is not only a veteran of the MJPD, having led the force until retiring earlier this year, but is also a decorated retiree of the United States Air Force. Cumulatively the “Chief’ has over 45 years of municipal and federal service to our county and community. The staff is excited about the experience and insight he will bring to the Board of Commissioners. At the same time we wish Commissioner Ray Justice a fond farewell as an MJ Commissioner. I’ve only known Ray for the last year, but believe he has brought a high level of policy energy and initiative to the Commission. Commissioner Justice, we wish you and your family every success for the future! We know you will stay engaged to continuing to move MJ forward. Finally, the staff wishes to congratulate and welcome back Mayor Linda Elam. We look forward to her continued leadership as Mayor.

If you have an issue, don’t hesitate to write. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Randy Robertson
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