President’s Report

Persevere: Keep at work, be determined, be resolved, be stubborn, carry on, continue, endure, go for it.

Today it again was bad news for my brother-in-law, another setback in his illness, as my sister says “it is so frustrating.” Words of encouragement are hard to find at times, even for Meri Sunshine, which is a name I’ve been called at work. My only advice in many incidences is we must persevere.

When problems and dilemmas come up at City Hall we have to face them and try to find the correct solutions or any solution to try to get through to the other side. The side that is acceptable for the citizens and good for our City in the process of moving forward. So much of our work is life’s problems going by and coming out of these problems with minor scrapes, scratches, or bad backlash to live another day to serve the best we can.

We have to persevere to get through each day and the problems that we must face, which I have found are ever changing. It is funny how they can get moved in priority in the next hour, minute, or second that a day can bring. That is the thing that keeps your interest and drive to serve going, at least for me. The chance to find solutions and ways to deal with these variables, including money constraints, time, and palatability to the citizens is the challenge. You have to admit you are never bored in this job!

I do not care how big or small your town/city is, the problems still keep coming and you as a leader, in whatever capacity, must persevere. The well goes down, the lift station pump is out, the roads are blocked with snow or trees, pot holes, the garbage truck has problems, the electricity has gone out, drainage, planning and zoning, budget, public safety, new software, workers gone, an endless myriad of different complications that need to be overcome. Your job and mine, we all signed up for it! That is why we all admire and respect each other, only idiots would do this job is what a lot of people think. We think of it as a challenging and admirable job!

Please continue to “PERSEVERE” and use this key always!

Respectfully, Meri Jo Anderson President