MTAS Mustard for week ended 8-2-19

Update:

Thanks to the chair of the MTAS retreat committee for pointing out my error. We will have our retreat on September 12^th and 13^th, NOT the 11^th and 12^th. I apologize for the error and any inconvenience this may have caused.

Margaret

Original:
 


Good Monday Afternoon MTAS,

As my alarm went off this morning and I groggily tried to remember what day it was, and when I realized it was Monday, I thought: “I have a week ahead of me, what difference can I make?” Then, when I got to the office and looked at my quote of the day, it said “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.” – H.E. Luccock. I think I found my answer. The IPS conference is next week, and while MTAS is not having its own separate meeting (we’ll do that in September on the 11^th and 12^th), I look forward to seeing all of the musicians that make up the MTAS orchestra. If your talents extend only as far as the kazoo, your contributions still matter. Don’t worry, we’re not planning a concert or talent show at our retreat, I just like the idea that it takes all of us working together to make the impacts that we do. None of us works alone and when we rehearse and play together, we make beautiful things that matter. We make a difference – we improve the lives of those we serve. How cool is that?!

Last week I had the privilege of hearing from the summer interns. Thanks to internship endowments, we had students placed in the municipalities of Lexington, Bristol, Goodlettsville, Greeneville, Bartlett and Kingsport. These young graduate students shared stories of what they worked on over the summer. They were amazed at what they learned, how some of their conceptions of local government were misplaced, and the level of responsibility that cities gave to them. Each time I hear an end-of-internship presentation, I get a little rush of adrenaline. It really is remarkable what cities do each and every day; the difference city services make on resident’s lives; and how a million moving parts all seem to come together for good governance. I then well-up with a little pride to know that we help make that happen, and that students are now enthused to be a part of it all.

Okay, also last week we had some milestones to celebrate. Dennis and Justin both had work anniversaries on August 1. Together they contribute 23 years toward the MTAS tenure. We also had a couple of birthdays – Elisha on July 27^th and Chris on the 28^th. Happy birthday to the two of you!

Please be safe next week as you travel to Memphis. I encourage carpooling, so please ask around about transportation plans. I sincerely look forward to seeing you and catching up with you!

Until Tuesday in Memphis,
Margaret