06/05/2018

Good Afternoon MTAS,

Well, I’m a week behind on the Mustard. The Memorial day holiday delayed me, and then I traveled to Iowa last week for some family time. Therefore, this will be a short report since I wasn’t in the office much.

First, congratulations go to Emily who wowed the city administrator in Adamsville. He said that she “… has helped us with our budget amendments and 2019 budget forms. She has built spreadsheets for the City that not only helps us this year but will help us for years to come.” The email continues to laud her work ethic and dedication. Way to go Emily! I absolutely love getting emails like this from our customers. You all do significant work, and I appreciate the impact you make. Your customers notice your hard work too.

Some of you may have read a news article (or two) about UT’s investment practices and policies. The newspaper article I read tried to imply that UT was using sketchy investment practices and trying to cover it up. This just isn’t the case, and for those who are interested, I’m attaching a two-page document from David Miller, UT’s chief financial officer, that explains reality. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Over the last two weeks, we had a birthday and a work anniversary that I’d like to highlight. On the birthday side, happy birthday wishes go to Cyndy who celebrated on May 28. Wasn’t it nice that her birthday fell on a national holiday? For the work anniversary, a shout-out goes to John C. who celebrated a “few” years – yep, one of those round number years – on June 1. Best wishes to you both for another year behind you and many more exciting ones to come.

Finally, I leave you with some philosophies from my nine year old nephews. Legos are fun; playing catch is the best part of the day; and riding bikes (even with helmets) is way cool. For each of the boys, I attended a sporting event: a soccer match and a baseball game. At each event, after the pre-game huddle, the team broke the huddle by saying “play.” The words weren’t “go tigers” or “let’s win” but simply “play.” I challenge you to go play. Find the fun in your job and take full advantage of it.

I wish you play,
Margaret