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, September 11, 2009

Update: 9/11/09

Good Afternoon MJ:

It seems like most everyone knows where they were on 11 September 2001. For me, I was in a U.S. Army Brigade Operations Center in Mannheim with a several Battalion and Brigade Commanders from throughout Central Europe when message traffic started coming in about the World Trade Center. Ironically I had been in country for less than a week, having left Washington, D.C. and my offices at Fort Belvoir and the Pentagon. I know my life certainly wasn’t the same after 911; I suspect millions will attest to the same.

I mention 911 to not only recognize the world-changing events of this day in 2001, but to encourage the citizens of Mt. Juliet to join us tomorrow (12 September) in making a difference in our community by volunteering in a “Patriot’s Day” event. Several years ago the Mayor established “Patriot’s Day” in an effort to interject a positive element into a day of tragedy for our nation; a day most of us will never forget. Focusing on Tennessee’s famous “Volunteer” spirit, there will be five community led Patriot’s Day activities throughout Mt. Juliet, each focused on giving time and effort to benefit others. Volunteers are needed for:

- The Wheelchair Wash for those who must use a wheelchair will take place at the Mt. Juliet Health Care Center at 2650 North Mt. Juliet Road;

- At Rutland Elementary there will be a group doing landscaping and area clean-up activities;

- A free car wash for military families at the F&M Bank at 4152 North Mt. Juliet Road;

- We’re going to plant trees at Charlie Daniels Park; and

- The Mt. Juliet Senior Center at 204 North Mt. Juliet Road needs some hands for painting and some outside maintenance & repairs.

All events start at 8:30am at their respective work locations. While we hope you’ll be able to work until the project is completed (Lunch will be served), please do what you can. Materials will be provided.

If you are interested call Linda McClanahan at 504-2226. She would love to know you’re coming.

On another note, if you haven’t see our bi-weekly updates on the North Mt. Juliet Road project I’d encourage you to tune into Channel 3 at 7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. every day. Every two weeks, right after the latest TDOT and utilities relocation update, Mr. Shannon Joyner, the city’s Assistant Director of Public Works will provide you with the latest info on this major project. If you can’t get to Channel 3 at the above times, you’ll be able to watch it at your convenience on the city’s homepage by next Wednesday. Another bit of good news from the city’s technology arena; we recently acquired an automated scheduling apparatus for Channel 3. What that means to you is we are slowly moving from a slide to video format. Mr. Taylor (I.T. Director) has secured access to several public service type programs including “This Week in the Pentagon” and “Fit For Duty” which are broadcasted on the Armed Forces Network. Whether you are interested in improving your personal health or just want to keep up with what’s going on inside the Pentagon and the military, you won’t want to miss what’s happening on Channel 3. “This Week in the Pentagon” is running at 8:00 p.m. every evening with our “Fit for Duty” shows coming on line in the near future.

That’s about all for this week. Take care and talk with soon.

Sincerely,
R. Robertson
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)