As I spend my last few days cleaning out my office and contemplating my next move, I was reminded it was time to send out the KWO newsletter and write my final column. I really don’t have any profound parting shots to share with you but I do want to say THANK YOU! Over the past month since announcing my upcoming retirement, I received a number of congratulatory emails, cards and kind words bestowed upon me. While I very much appreciate those expressions of appreciation, I feel some embarrassment in the fact that accomplishments are rarely achieved alone. Thatis certainly the case with me and as such, I have some people to thank.
 

Let me first start by thanking my wife and family. To do this job required many nights away from home which required Denise to take care of everything in my absence. I’m very proud of Mitchell and Morgan and Denise deserves much of the credit for the outstanding adults they’ve become. Next, I want to send a huge thank you to my current and former colleagues at the Water Office. What a great team of dedicated, caring individuals I had the privilege to work with. I’m constantly amazed what this small agency has accomplished with this group of selfless public servants. That said, the KWO cannot accomplish its’ objectives without the help of a myriad of local, state and federal partners. Thank you for your willingness to leverage resources and collaborate on water projects throughout this state.

We cannot accomplish anything whether in the public or private sector, without resources. Thank you to the elected officials at all levels for recognizing the importance of water, appropriating the funds and adopting the policies to better address our water needs.

And finally, I want to thank our huge network of Regional Advisory Committees, Kansas Water Authority and local government board members that are giving of their precious time, with little or no compensation, to advocate for and implement the actions necessary to ensure Kansas has a long-term, reliable water supply. I have been blessed to work with so many who are living our Vision and “acting on a shared commitment to have the water resources necessary to support the state’s social, economic and natural resource needs for current and future generations.