The first thing you should read in the “Columbia Flier” today is this story about Ruth Bohse and Anne Dodd. These two women have been Village Mangers in Columbia since 1979, Ms. Bohse in Owen Brown and Ms. Dodd in Kings Contrivance.
The job of Village Manager is not very high profile, but it is high impact. Ask any Village Board member in Columbia about their Village Manager, and I am sure high praise will issue forth. Village Managers are responsible for all things great and small. The things they take care of range from maintaining village centers and neighborhood centers, to managing village staff and volunteers, to putting on yearly local celebrations (Lake Elkhorn Festival, Taste of Wilde Lake, Long Reach Country Fair, among others) and also keeping the organization on budget.
The hours are long and they need to see our appreciation more. So if you can, stop by Owen Brown and Kings Contrivance to thank Ruth and Anne for a career of work that has enriched countless lives. Short of that, make a point within the next week to stop by your local village center and thank your Village Manager.
In closing, I want to thank Bernice Kish, the Wilde Lake Village Manager for her service and all the things you make happen in Wilde Lake. Bernice, you are priceless.
1 comment:
You're totally right - the Village Manager is the most important person in the village, bar none. Columbia's Village Managers are CEOs of what are essentially ten small businesses, public relations executives, local historians, counselors, and negotiators. They get all the blame when something goes wrong (even if it's totally out of their control) or when someone is upset (like with covenant violations), and none of the praise for the amazing things they do.
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