Drew Bluethmann ’22 — This summer, I had the privilege to work with Mayor Todd Barton ’00 of Crawfordsville. As an intern, I shadowed the Mayor in day-to-day meetings and learned about the inner workings of local government. I was also tasked to create a government study on the city trash service with my fellow intern Coledon Johnson ’23. The trash service had several years of financial difficulties and a declining customer base.
Coledon and I collected financial data and service data throughout the various departments in the city government, interviewed involved parties, and analyzed the information. We created a report for the city council which examined this information and explained the flaw of the current model. On August 2, we presented our findings at the city council meeting.
From this experience, I learned how difficult it is to balance different viewpoints in government because governments do not function in the same way as a business.
I want to thank the Dill fund for funding my experience this summer. It allowed me to gain real-world experience and to develop my career. This experience will go a long way in preparing me to enter the workforce.
