A DAO in the Life May 2021

By Carol Steele, Gloucester Deputy County Administrator

When considering career choices, one may look to jobs that offer security and consistency versus professions with a changing environment where each day can be different, and you have to be quick on your feet to respond to the unknown.  A friend was describing this choice to me recently as her son-in-law considers where he wants to work when he completes Physician’s Assistant’s School this spring.  The young man has worked as an EMT while in school and was talking to the family about the excitement of serving as a PA in an emergency room versus working in a quieter more traditional doctor’s office.

I don’t think I ever faced that kind of direct career choice, but I think people who enjoy serving as a Deputy County Administrator or Assistant County Administrators may be more like the adventurer or the ER doctor.  Government jobs are known for their retirement plans, steady paychecks, job security and to the government critic – the slow work pace.  I think my day is very different than what most of the public probably imagines.

Is it too bold of me to say I identify with the doctor going from curtain to curtain assessing situations, triaging the greatest risks, and working diligently to help people live better and happier lives?  How about if I add that some days, I’m doing all that while on roller skates?

I think a day in the life of a DAO is often fast paced, challenging and chaotic, and yet I thrive on that.  Sure, we can all appreciate the calmer days, the ones where staff, the citizenry, the Administrator and the Board/Council are either content or at least quiet.  It’s the rewards though that keep me energized and excited about my job:  solving a tough a problem, adding value to a project or improving opinions about local government because a citizen was expecting you to act like an unhappy DMV counter clerk (sorry to call them out, but you all know what I mean)

We are fortunate that we get to make a difference in our communities and that we get to work with people from multiple backgrounds and in a variety of circumstances.  As an ER doctor may appreciate the simple cases mixed in with the more dire, thankfully, not every contact with the public or internal personnel is about a crisis or a problem.  We have opportunities to form partnerships, provide new programs and adjust services through process improvements.  It’s the variety of handling both simple and complex matters and the feeling of doing good and helping others that helps me to know that I found the right job and the right career.

2020 and 2021 with the impact of COVID-19 have provided lots of additional challenges that have us going home more mentally and physically exhausted. From changing how we conduct business, to creating new working policies, to dealing with both revenue limitations and revenue opportunities and trying to keep our teams and the public safe, we are working through a significant historical event. I hope that all of us take the time to put the oxygen mask on first so that we can have the strength to help others. Please take care. Many people rely on the difference that you make. I’m looking forward to when we can meet in person again and network and share stories.