Kevin Kamenetz
NACo Achievement Awards
September 7, 2011
Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to be here today to recognize Baltimore County’s 2011 NACo Achievement Award winners.
Choosing a career in public service is no path to glamour and fame. Often our jobs seem thankless and for many of us, the people we serve are often only barely aware of our existence. However, none of us embarked on this journey for the glory, and we sure didn’t get into for the money.
The career paths that everyone in this room has chosen are not always easy, but make no mistake they are among the noblest of job choices. Because you didn’t choose your profession based on just a paycheck, you chose it because you believed in this community and you were determined to make a difference.
We are here today to pay tribute to you, some of Baltimore County’s most outstanding public servants. All of you are dedicated men and women, whose innovative contributions to our common good make this County a stronger and better place to live.
Everyone in this room has helped create programs that are not only building a better Baltimore County, but are also serving as models for the nation. These award-winning programs enrich our communities because of their proven effectiveness, and their success has been recognized by the National Association of Counties with their 2011 Achievement Awards.
It is especially gratifying that these programs emerge from so many different departments and that they address everything ranging from responses to domestic violence to getting out flu vaccines to innovative treatment programs for recovering addicts. But the common characteristic that they all share is that they represent what good government is about.
The important fact is that every one of these programs has made our County a better place to live. I am proud to work with all of you, and I thank you for all you’ve done and, I know, will continue to do both for the common good of the people of Baltimore County and as role models for public servants across the nation.
