In the blink of an eye

Belly full, family here, rain on the ground, Jr. on the track, a precious afternoon of peace....good time for a nap. The week is in the books, and I've learned a lot about myself and other people I didn't know.

Some of you guys don't know, but my life is going through a dramatic adjustment these days. About ten days ago, we were in a City Commission Meeting and I was in the back of the room sitting on my stool in the corner which is my customary position where I can see everyone in the room and get to the door or the commission podium quickly if need be. Things had gone fairly normal and we were just about to adjourn when a quick exchange between the Mayor and City Manager suddenly went South. Five minutes later, literally in the blink of an eye, the City Manager had resigned and I found myself as the Acting City Manager. But nothing was said about relief from the sworn duty of Police Chief. The current Manager's contract calls for him to vacate the office on April 17th. Now being the Acting City Manager is nothing new, I've held that place for several months now, but never with the knowledge that there was a possibility of the word "interim" slipping in. A 2-3 day Acting Manager role is infinitely different from the possibility of a 9-10 month interim duty.

I don't know what the days ahead hold, but I will have a better idea on April 16th. We will have a budget workshop that evening and hopefully the Commission will act to officially appoint an Interim Manager. While there has been some indication the Commission intends for that to be me, no one has officially said that.....and for that matter it could be anyone they want it to be. So, just to be prepared for whatever the future holds, I've been going into the office (PD) very early every morning. One morning I was there at 2:15 a.m. Once City Hall opens up, I go over and try to learn from my current City Manager as much as possible about all the issues facing our community. Now these are some fairly interesting issues (SFWMD and State of Florida's purchase of US Sugar for 1.5 Billion dollars, a wastewater treatment expansion project and the related financing package, completion and occupation of a new industrial park which is pending millions of dollars of USDA Grant Funds) Now these issues are aside from the normal day to day employee and administrative functions of the job. So, then later in the afternoon, I'm back to the Police Department to try and catch up on my normal duties. Most days are now ending between 6 and 6:30 p.m., with a return trip to the police department after dinner each night.

Weighing heavily upon my mind through all this are the difficulties a couple of my officers are facing. One officer lost his wife unexpectedly this week to a tragic accident. Another officer and his wife who also happens to be one of our dispatchers have a child (infant) who is critically ill and has been in ICU at a hospital on the coast all week. My Assistant Chief had an unexpected trip come up late in the week, and her absence has magnified my awareness of how much I depend upon her day to day.

The toughest thing in all this is the things I've had to let go of. I'm going to have to turn Sunday School, Missions and my lawn over to some other people for a while. I'll just claim every free moment for a while for Tilena and the boys. T's been so patient with me so far. She even came to the PD with me after church today while I took care of a couple of things I didn't get done during the week. Who knows, maybe the Commission will appoint someone unexpected next month and all my extra studies will be for naught. We won't know for sure till the gavel falls that night. But till then...a fella has to be prepared. And I do intend to be prepared.

The greatest comfort is knowing we don't have a single Department Head who is incapable of handling their business indefinitely. Having a current City Manager who is willing to answer the phone and help me through any scrape is golden. Serving a professional, honorable, knowledgeable, and most of all Godly City Commission is priceless. There is enormous knowledge and support available to me or whoever the Commission appoints. We will be alright.

Through it all God has increased my energy and given great strength to my confidence through ernest prayer. I ask you all to join in prayer for our community these days.

Be patient with me in the days to come. I will update as I can. Love you all.

Don and Company