Departing City Manager Scott Morgan looks to Anderson's future

Shasta County in general, and Anderson in particular, is a great place. I have had the privilege of living and working in Anderson for more than eleven years. My family and I are moving to Florida this week to be able to assist my wife's elderly parents.

One of our goals in moving here from Southern California in 1997 was to have our then-very young children grow up in a supportive, child-friendly environment. We were hopeful that our children would learn and thrive, and that later in life, they would remember growing up here with fondness. We have indeed been blessed with how they have grown up. My wife Nancy and I are very proud of our two children, William and Adeline, now teenagers. They will most certainly look back upon their formative years in Anderson in the first decade of the 21st century nurturing wonderful memories that will stay with them their entire lives.

As Anderson's City Manager, I have had the chance to work together with an incredible number of good people who are dedicated not only to their jobs and families, but to also to helping build a better community here. Service clubs, churches, civic and business organizations all have as part of their mission to help build a better community. I believe that because of its hard-working and community-minded people, Anderson has seen much improvement over the past 11 years. More importantly, because of its people, the future of Anderson is brighter and full of more promise than ever before.

This is not to say that the current recession isn't taking a terrible toll on many of our people and organizations, nor that there won't be more bumps on the road to a better future. Like many communities, Anderson has its challenges such as far too many unemployed people. And, despite some progress, too much domestic violence. And, despite much progress, still too many property owners not taking good care of their property.

But this is a community that has successfully overcome big challenges in the past. Mills closed, and people learned new skills. Floods and fires have taken their tolls, but people have rebuilt. Drugs and alcohol have ravaged some, but there are those who have overcome addiction and are living sober, productive, meaningful lives. Anderson's people are up to taking on today's challenges - up to the challenges because of the widely-held belief in building a better future for successive generations.

The City government of Anderson is continuing to work with our community to help build a better future. We've brought water, sewer, storm drain improvements, sidewalks, bikeways, traffic signals and roadway extensions to parts of the City where they had not existed. We need to continue to maintain what we have built and to construct new infrastructure improvements, particularly in proximity to where the potential for significant private sector investment is high. This continued investment in infrastructure will create near-term construction jobs and longer-term opportunities for new service sector jobs for our hard working people.

We've worked with landowners who wanted to, and have, improved their properties. We've annexed land into the City of Anderson that expanded our city's industrial base and that will support the development of new manufacturing jobs. We're continuing to develop an even better, more community-oriented Police Department. We're working with our schools, Chamber of Commerce, the Shasta District Fair and many other community organizations to build upon a strong tradition of great special events and excellent recreational opportunities.

The reason I feel so good about what we have together accomplished during the past 11 years is that this work has been based on shared community values. These values will continue to drive Anderson's optimistic vision, and guide your city government's working in partnership with its citizens, businesses, public and not-for-profit organizations as together you continue to build a better future.

At a workshop more than ten years ago, the Anderson City Council developed a theme that defined us. It was also intended to help us stay grounded as we moved to where we were going. It read: "Anderson - What a Community Should Be." This theme struck a responsive chord among the city council, staff and citizens attending the workshop because of the shared values held by the people of Anderson. These values may be lost in many parts of the country, but values such as honesty, integrity and fair dealings largely still characterize Anderson.

At that city council workshop, we put to writing what values we believe in. That listing is as valid today as it was more than a decade ago. It reads:

What the Anderson Community Believes

We believe in friendliness.

We believe in hard work.

We believe in community pride and involvement.

We believe in respect and caring for others.

We believe in education.

We believe in having a safe community.

We believe in the future.

We believe in teamwork.

We believe in having fun.

We believe in living our stated values.

Thank you to each citizen of Anderson for the honor of serving as your City Manager. I think in our work together over the past eleven years, we have indeed lived our stated values. I also think, rather I know, that the future of Anderson is brighter than ever.

<B>EDITOR'S NOTE:</B> Scott Morgan served as Anderson's City Manager from October 20, 1997, through July 7, 2009.