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.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Update: 5/19/09

Good Morning MJ:


I hope this note find all those of you following my articles well. The other day I asked Mr. Taylor, the City’s IT Director, to give me an idea of how the “blog” is being received. I was pleasantly surprised to hear there are nearly 450 regular subscribers. I trust most of you are finding some value added in keeping up with city activities. As I understand there are subscribers in some of Darlene and my old hometown’s in Germany, Belgium and Kentucky. Greetings, Bon Jour and Guten tag to all of our friends. Things are challenging here, but the opportunities to make a positive difference are worth the effort.

Si je comprends bien il ya des abonnés dans certains de Darlene et ma ville natale de l'ancien en Allemagne, en Belgique et au Kentucky. Bonjour, Bon Jour et Guten tag à tous nos amis. Les choses sont difficiles ici, mais les possibilités de faire une différence positive valent l'effort.

Nach meinem Verständnis gibt es einige Teilnehmer in der Darlene und meine alte Heimatstadt in Deutschland, Belgien und Kentucky. Grüße, Bon Jour und Guten Tag an alle unsere Freunde. Die Dinge sind herausfordernd, aber die Chancen, einen positiven Unterschied sind die Mühe wert.

Now on to business. . .

Thanks to the nearly 50 people who joined us last night in City Hall to hear about the North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) widening project, and to the many who watched on Channel 3. From all indications the meeting was well received by all. As virtually every speaker noted, the NMJR widening project is possibly the most complex public works project the city has undertaken since its incorporation. The principle reason for the difficulties lie in what has defined us over the last few years . . . our unprecedented growth. The project will involve extensive coordination between all the utilities (i.e., water, sewer, electric, phone and cable, gas) as well as the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). With the proximity of homes and businesses along NMJR, and the volume of traffic that now travels this main corridor, ensuring this project successfully unfolds over the next 24 +/- months will take the utmost in diligence and oversight by all of those actively involved in the operational aspect of construction and extreme patience from those who travel and live along the road. I want to thank the reps from TDOT and all the utilities who made time last night to keep our citizens posted on this crucial project. We plan to periodically rerun the video on Channel 3 and anticipate another “Town Hall” in the next few months once TDOT has named the lead contractor.

Until next time take care Mt. Juliet. I’ll talk with you later.

Sincerely,

R. Robertson
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2 comments:

  1. CHBMay 19, 2009 at 2:08 PM

    Good afternoon Randy, I just want you to know that I appreciate the Blog, It is informative and without opinion or political gain. Thanks and keep it going...

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  2. AnonymousJune 3, 2009 at 4:21 AM

    Hello, as a new college student and a MJHS c/o 08 student, im suprised to come home and see rides where my old elementary school used to be! whats going on with that? how come nobody told me that you guys were building something fun here in mt. juliet?!

    ReplyDelete

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