Fired City Manager Back on His Feet in Brookings

You can't keep a good man down: Jeffrey Weldon, fired just last month as Yankton city manager, has a new job... as Brookings city manager. Weldon beat out 51 other applicants for the $103K/year job. He starts next month and moves his family from Yankton to Brookings in January.

I know what it's like to get fired from a public position. It's not fun. It certainly doesn't look good on the résumé. It can make a guy question whether he even wants to stay in the profession he enjoys. It's good to see that Weldon didn't let the firing and the bad feelings get him down. The powers-that-be (and may not be for long, depending on the recall election) may have knocked him off his horse, but he got right back on another one.

When you get fired, you can sit around being depressed or angry, or you can look for another good opportunity. Life goes on. For Jeff Weldon, it will go on in Brookings. The Brookings City Commission has recongized his qualifications. Now he can just hunker down behind a new desk, get to work, and let his record and accomplishments speak for themselves. Good luck, Mr. Weldon!

(And watch out for that Powers character -- he'll probably say you're part of the nanny state. Don't sweat it: it's nothing personal, just ideology.)