35 years

I suddenly realized it has been 35 years since I first started my career in City government as of October 21, 2009, when I started with the City of Liberal, Kansas on October 21, 1974 as Administrative Assistant to the City Manager. There is no way I could have even imagined the next 35 years (of which approximately 26 years are as a City Manager/Administrator).

The City Manager showed me to my office and told me he wanted me to concentrate on redevelopment of a part of the City that had been deteriorating.

I realized I was in the right profession several months after I started when I was standing in line at a movie theatre and looked at the line and realized I played an important role in whether the persons in line had a good quality of life or not. I felt a chill of excitement go through me as I realized the role a city plays in the quality of life of the residents and visitors and that, even with my limited role, I was a part of the process.

I am lucky that the thrill has never gone and I still feel the excitement involved in City government.

On November 1, 2009, I also marked 8 years as a resident and City Manager of Lakeland. Aliene and I marked the date with a discussion about how we enjoy living in Lakeland and how this was good move for both of us. I moved to Lakeland because I was looking for a challenge and a City that was unique. I found both in Lakeland!

In spite of growing up on a farm, I enjoyed cities from when I was young. I can remember playing "City Manager" when I was a child. I had a major City set up with all of the normal elements of a City including Police, Fire, Ambulance, a City Hall, major streets, an airport etc. I probably didn't have a sewer system and the water system may have been rather vague! As was common at the time, I didn't have a lot of toys, but I found that sticks, stones etc. could be imagined into cars, trucks, airplanes etc.

Perhaps that is the reason I bought my first "Hot Wheels" car for my daughter when she was about six months old and have amassed a collection of "Hot Wheels" type vehicles that I don't even begin to count!

One thing I have found for the past 35 years is that the more I know, the more I need to learn and that there will NEVER be a time with "things slow down so I can finally catch up". At some point in my career, I realized I could never do everything I wanted to do, so I had to set priorities!

It is a wonderful career for me and I have never regretted accepting that first position that eventually led to our move to Lakeland.