Staying in touch and keeping up with careers
Posted By RichC on October 8, 2014
It is nice to stay in touch with family and now with cellphones, email, text messaging and video calling, 
I communicate with both children often – probably more now than when they were in college?
My daughter Katelyn calls regularly as she is driving (just like me) and seems to enjoy updating me on the events of the day. After her Minnesota medical boards on Monday (gulp) she entertained me with a story about three neighbor boys wanting to see her bunny. She asked them if they wanted to give him a treat and then told them to hold the “Cheerio” so the rabbit wouldn’t bite their finger … of course the oldest boy’s finger was in the way. “HE BIT ME!” as he went running out of the garage. He was of course first and neither younger boy wanted to try. So funny and enjoyable … and I’m SO glad Katelyn and Drew are happy in Minneapolis
I talk with my son Taylor more about his career than his social life and find it gratifying that he is productive and has a purpose. Unfortunately as with all jobs, they have their ups and downs. Situations change based on people, personalities and politics, maybe even more than performance and competence? It’s that political component that is challenging to negotiate. I can now see how politics determines keeping a job even when you’re “playing by the rules” or performing the job you were hired to do. It is more evident in northwest North Dakota in the influence of outside business heavy-weights and such rapid growth in a small community. 
In Williams County, almost ever decision hinges on land, development and oil. Begin to restrict that wild west “free for all” as development planners … and doing keeping your job becomes a really big challenge.
Learned Advice: Beware of influential
power players who have millions of dollars
riding on decisions that are made.
Earlier today I heard that Williams County North Dakota’s Planning Director Ray Pacheco submitted his resignation after a recent “restructuring.” This placed Taylor’s boss and his planning and zoning staff under the control of another department head. The structural change was tough on the whole department, but the resignation of a mentor and friend has been even more challenging for Taylor and the others in the department. I hate to see good people push out for doing their job, but was thankful to read that Ray will not be unemployed or to need to sell his new house (his family just moved in this summer after spending 2 years in a small, but expensive, apartment). Who knows what the future holds for Taylor or how well he, as currently the most senior planner, will handle the workload. I suspect the county will begin interviewing for a “more” experienced planner, although am already sensing the HR director’s comment as to having more then enough staff: “I’d say we have Yana, Taylor and Ray, so I’d say we have three planners.” How many are needed and do they need at least one that can bring experience to the table?
Whatever happens, I suggested to Taylor that he needs to see this as a chance to be constructive and lead with a positive attitude. Since he’s a big football guy, I suggested he respond like a coach at halftime and be an asset to the new department director. Hey, at minimum it’s a resume builder. 
