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.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Update: May 16, 2011

Good Morning MJ:

Just a few notes from City Hall:

Remember: The American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” is still accepting participants for their Friday evening to Saturday morning fundraiser. Interested? Call Cassy Thompson at 308-3557.

Want to help a Wounded Warrior and work on your own health? Join Ryan Armstrong and nearly 100 other runners/walker at Charlie Daniels Park on Saturday, 21 May, at 9:00 a.m. All proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project. Don’t want to run but would like to help? Call Ryan and just donate. His number is 289-9181.

After the run join us at Charlie Daniels Park for MJ’s celebration of Armed Forces Day at 1100. Lots of static military displays and remarks from MG Max Haston, Adjutant General of Tennessee, U.S. Representative Jim Cooper and LTG (Ret) John Pickler. LTG (Ret) Pickler was at West Point when Douglas MacArthur spoke of “Duty, Honor and Country”; courageously served in Vietnam; survived 3 helicopter crashes in one day; and was the Director of the Army Staff, in the Pentagon, when it was hit on 9/11. The MJ Community Band will also be there in force to help us celebrate in style.

Join LTG Pickler, Reverend Andrew Wharton and the congregation of the Life Assembly Church the next day (Sunday, 22 May), at 12:30, when they cut the ribbon for the 180’ flagpole that will grace MJ’s southern landscape. Life Assembly is near WalMart, on Pleasant Grove Road.

We need your help to build Ava’s Splash Park at Charlie Daniels! Take the Pepsi Refresh Project Challenge and place an on-line vote for Ava's Splash Park. Just being selected to participate in the "Pepsi Refresh Project" is a tremendous honor, since only a handful of projects across the country are chosen. Vote now! Vote every day! Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/build-avas-splashpad or Text: 106253 to Pepsi (73774). By the way, if we win one of the $50k grand prizes, a private donor has agreed to do an equal match!

One last special event . . . MJ’s 14th Annual Memorial Day Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, 30 May. The ceremony will be at the Veterans Memorial at Bond Memorial Chapel on Mt. Juliet Road. Guest speaker this year will be USMC Lt. Col (Ret) Jay Drescher. Please make plans to attend and honor our veterans, both living and deceased, for their service to our nation. For more info call Stephen DeBord at 773-2663.

The final note of the day, April sales tax receipts came in late Friday. MJ continues to rock with our share up over $18k from April of last year. Remember, sales taxes are MJ’s primary form of revenue. Shop MJ First.

Take care and have a great week.

R. Robertson
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