More than a Job

Today, big things are happening at Park County surrounding the county manager position and the person the commissioners chose to replace Mike Smith.

And as I watch it unfold, I keep thinking back to the day Mike lost that job — and how difficult it was to watch.

Not simply because he lost a position, but because I knew how seriously he took the responsibility that came with it.

Mike believes that public service means doing what is right even when it is inconvenient, asking the difficult questions even when people would rather not answer them, and making decisions based on what serves the public rather than what earns approval.

I watched him work incredibly hard for the people of Park County. I watched him solve problems, push projects forward, and make sure the everyday business of county government got done.

And then I watched more than a hundred people show up and speak on his behalf.

Their voices may not have changed the decision that day, but they told Mike something far more important:

His work mattered. And people knew it.

We raised our children believing that integrity is not something you practice only when it is rewarded. Sometimes doing the right thing costs you something.

You do it anyway.

Looking back, I am still disappointed by how it ended. But I will never be embarrassed by the way Mike served Park County.

I am incredibly proud of him.

And whatever happens next at Park County, there is one thing no vote, no title, and no political decision could ever take from him:

…. his integrity