Commentary by Cindy Benedict
As I write the weather is rainy but I know that by the time you read this we could have two inches of snow – the weather seems to be more unpredictable than ever. Dealing with the unpredictable is just a normal day for Noblesville’s Street Commissioner Patty Johnson, who has worked in the street department since 1996 and led the team since 2011.
Johnson serves on the Board of the Indiana Street Commissioners Association as its second vice president and only female board member. In fact, there are only two female street commissioners in the association, so Johnson is a rarity in her profession – one she takes seriously. Johnson is passionate “to do the right thing for people and do the very best we can with the conditions we are dealt with.” Managing a staff of 35, Johnson is proudest of “hopefully bringing our staff together to be a better team to serve our residents.”
She also has a great sense of humor. When asked how she would use a magic wand to help the street department she would “put a dome over the city so we didn’t have to deal with weather!”
Johnson enjoys sewing, home improvement projects and creating unique frames. She has two sons at Ball State and has been married to her husband Chris for 28 years. She also is a member of the American Public Works Association to stay current on best practices in the industry.
Her greatest challenge is providing excellent service. Leaf pick-up is particularly difficult because it is a slow process to pick-up loose leaves.
“Residents reasonably want to know when we’ll get to their street,” she said. “It is very hard to predict. We are basically vacuuming the street. When you vacuum your home some rooms take longer and it is the same with the streets. It is very labor intensive. Picking up bagged leaves is significantly faster, but we have neighborhoods with lots of trees and that isn’t always possible to do. It also doesn’t help when leaves fall late in the season.”
She then ends with, “I really do love my job helping residents so we just keep doing the best we can.”
Well, we can’t have a dome, but I’m pretty sure that Johnson and her team can handle whatever Mother Nature decides to throw our way in 2015.
Cindy Benedict is the Community Engagement Manager for the City of Noblesville. Reach her at 770-2007 or [email protected].
