Recognizing Manatee County’s hardworking public servants
Last week was a very special week for me and for all those in Public Service. It was Public Service Recognition Week, a nationally recognized celebration focusing on those in our community who serve daily to make our county a wonderful place to live, work and play.
I want to express my gratitude to all of the public sector employees across Manatee County. When you stop and think about what it takes to ensure our citizens can enjoy a healthy, safe, vibrant, clean, economically strong, and diverse community, there are many people to thank and many of them serve in public sector.
Government service IS public service. Government workers are doing important work — often behind the scenes — that positively affects all of us every day. From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, you are experiencing the results of our public sector employees.
When you enjoy clean drinking water, thank the Utilities staff. When you safely walk down the sidewalk with your pets or family, thank your Public Works staff. When your child is able to learn how to code computers, thank your Neighborhood Services staff. When a new small business opens in your neighborhood, thank your Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity staff. When your home improvement project is ready for inspection, thank your Building and Development staff. When you and your family enjoy a safe outing to the beautiful beaches, thank your Public Safety, Property Management and Parks and Natural Resources staff. And when you enjoy events in our community, thank your Convention and Visitors Bureau staff.
This is only a reflection of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioner public servants in our community, there are many more: firefighters, school teachers, court personnel, and law enforcement professionals that also deserve our thanks for how they serve us and our community daily.
Decisions made in government will never please everyone and sometimes the work government employees do goes unnoticed, but I would suggest we take this time to look differently at the employees across our community who serve every day. Let’s take the time to show our gratitude. I am personally thankful for the hard work that each and every County employee does every day. I am even more proud to be a part of this organization during this pandemic as I see our County employees leave their families every day to come to work to serve us, so we can continue to have a healthy and vibrant community, despite the current global conditions.
If you see a Manatee County employee — or other federal, state or local government employee — tell them their dedication and service are noticed and appreciated.
It is an honor to serve alongside so many hard-working employees. Thank you to everyone who works so hard for our community by giving your time and service to Manatee County Government. We appreciate you every day and are so glad to have this week to express our gratitude more publicly.
