On the interview for the National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center (twitter post 7/2/09)

Oral historian Jenny Pachucki interviewed me (and many others) for the national story-telling project sponsored by the museum. I talked about how all of the Arlington County agencies – parks, libraries, human services, purchasing, schools and others were part of the response; how Arlington Fire, FBI, & DOD established joint command; how we were supported by local (and state) agencies throughout the Washington region and the nation; how the values of the community had no tolerance for hate crimes or discrimination, but showed a persistent spirit of unity and resilience. It was interesting to reflect on the events of that day as we approach the 8^th anniversary of the attacks. The extremely high level of inter-agency cooperation and teamwork remains noteworthy. There was ample opportunity for turf battles, control struggles, and for egos to run wild. Across all sectors, almost everyone came together with a focus on mission.

Across the National Capital Region, we have continued to build and nurture these relationships and this philosophy even as the actors have changed. An excellent example of which is Major General Rich Rowe, the recent outgoing commander of the Military District of Washington and Joint Forces. From the day he took command to the day he left, he worked to establish relationships across the military forces, other federal agencies, and especially across state and local governments. He is an excellent example of the collaborative leadership required to be effective in today’s world.

Another great collaborator in the region is Craig Gerhart, who just retired as County Executive in Prince William County. His jurisdiction has been through a rough period with political miss-direction on immigration and devastation of its housing market. These events -- beyond Craig's control -- have been a distraction from a career of honorable and dedicated service to Prince William and to the profession of public administration. The high esteem in which Craig's peers hold him was demonstrated in his selection to lead our first Northern Virginia deployment of an executive response team to New Orleans to assist with the recovery from Katrina. The team had senior staff across all public professions and from all Northern Virginia jurisdictions. They worked under the most trying circumstances imaginable. Craig's efforts not only supported New Orleans at a critical time of need, but built increased capacity and trust across Northern Virginia. Craig will be consulting with Amtrak in the immediate future, but hopefully his talents will one day be again be devoted to professional local government.