Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

Once again, here I sit, sifting through the idiotic happenings over the week-end. It seems to eventually happen in every municipality where I've worked over my entire professional career. Either the wrong people get hired or elected, or worse, both. But if you were going to pick just one, it's the elected officials who cause the most problems.

My first job didn't include public works, so I wasn't exposed to the grief that brings. Though sure enough, someone was elected who didn't like how the city was run, and had ideas who to blame for it. Fortunately, it was a fight with minor skirmishes for me, because I was at the edge of his radar. Then, after a meeting, I was accosted by a senior elected official and dressed down, in front of the public, city officials, and my boss. Luckily, I was in the middle of an email declining a job 1500 miles away. I quickly changed it -- my boss said he would do nothing -- and off I went.

After a rocky start, there were several great years, but as always, they came. If everyone is treated in the same fair manner, it's the entitled who get upset, and they'll make life miserable. By the end of that war, I had jerks coming to park meetings to cause trouble. Who does that?

So here I am at my desk, with a lawsuit against the mayor for slander and other things, and a group of councilors out to harm the staff. I guess writing more in grants than I earn is unpalatable to them, and it's not even in my job description. I've applied for other jobs, and I hope to withdraw from this fight shortly.

I'm too old for this, it needs to be my last battlefield.

(WC:298)