Just a very simple word of thanks

Happy Friday! 

A memory: My mom worked in the Sterling Heights, Michigan, City Clerk’s office. She loved that job. Mom so much enjoyed serving citizens and knowing she was contributing in some part to the city’s overall welfare.

Later in life, when I became a city hall reporter, I’d visit with the secretaries and office staff on occasion. I often thought of Mom during those visits, and I knew how valuable these jobs were for folks.

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Every local government reporter knows that it’s the office workers who really have the scoop on what’s going on. One of my favorite news tips of all time regarding the size of parking spaces at the Lecanto Government Building came from county office workers.

In short, some of my favorite people are government people. We click.

It’s not easy working for any level of the government right now. Federal workers are getting fired, that’s starting to trickle onto the state level, and suddenly folks who have government paychecks are seen with suspicion.

Look. I’m not making a political statement, OK? I’d just like to see a little empathy toward government employees who work their tails off.

Folks think government workers feed at the public trough.  My experience suggests the opposite is more likely. There are very few undercover government workers. Most wear uniforms with name tags. They drive vehicles clearly marked on the side. Try working in that environment. 

Government workers are a fraternity, whether the office is in Washington, D.C., or Lecanto. Our local government folks aren’t blind to what’s taking place. They wonder what tomorrow will bring.

So, let’s hear it for Citrus County’s federal, state, county, and city workers. They could use a little encouragement.

Government folks are often frustrated by a public that would rather criticize than ask simple questions.

“I would LOVE IT for someone to ask me about my job,” one county worker recently told me.

I feel your pain, government friends. I feel your worry, your heartache, your concern. I know most of you really do this for the public, and what’s taking place is keeping some of you awake at night.

Again, I’m not offering a political statement or opinion. I just feel for these folks. Why wouldn’t I?

They’re our friends. We see them at church, the grocery store, and Little League ballfield. They take our brunt when confronted with stubborn rules. We say insulting things like, “You work for me!” As if a government worker needs reminding who pays the bills.

The photo with today’s blog sums it up. It’s from the county’s Facebook page, showing public works employees filling sandbags in the days leading to Hurricane Helene. Pretty sure this isn’t in their job description. Yet, we see this all the time. Workers with the County, School Board, Crystal River, Inverness — they all jump in when help is needed.

Wouldn’t kill us to say thanks. I’ll start.

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication. I notice it and I appreciate it. We couldn’t do this community thing without you.

— We’ve welcomed several hundred new readers to Just Wright Citrus the last few weeks, which thrills me because it expands the potential net of conversation.

It’s also time for the periodic reminder of our rules of engagement. Basically, please be polite. If you can’t say it to your 8-year-old niece, you can’t say it here.

We had a new reader last week use a 4-letter word in a comment. I asked him to edit out the word, so that we keep it G-rated here. Not only did he disagree, but he also repeated the same comment after I deleted it. So, I blocked the guy.

We’re not playing those games here. The decision-makers who pay close attention to Just Wright Citrus conversations won’t be swayed by poor behavior. We keep the discussion on point, without readers being rude to one another, and good things happen. That's our experience.

OK. Enough preaching. It’s Floral City Strawberry Festival weekend. Need I say more?

Have a spectacular Friday, friends.

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