By Zach Markovic w/Plano Star Courier
In a who’s who gathering of former and current dignitaries, government officials and well-wishers from across the nation, Tom Muehlenbeck was honored during a packed ceremony on the third floor of Neiman Marcus Willow Bend on Thursday evening.
It was a celebration for a man who has been at the helm of a city that witnessed massive amounts of growth during his 23-year tenure. Not that he would take credit for the growth, as he attributed everything to the dedicated employees of the city of Plano.
“The community servants had such a respect for the community, and they are the ones that get the job done every day,” Muehlenbeck said. “They are the ones that make the council look good, they are the ones that make me look good, they do it every day and they do it with excellence.”
Attendees included former and current mayors and city council members, including Sen. Florence Shapiro, Pat Evans and Jim Edwards.
Shapiro, who was a council member in Plano when Muehlenbeck arrived, announced a Senate proclamation dedicated to the service Muehlenbeck has delivered to the city of Plano, state of Texas, the United States and internationally.
“It is a real tribute to you and your commitment to this community. I remember when you came to this community, I had heard about you from several people in Austin when you were an assistant manager there. And they were very envious that we had gotten you to come to Plano,” Shapiro told Muehlenbeck.
“The value he places on every single person that lives here and the value he places on making this the best city as any place in the United States is why we owe [Tom Muehlenbeck] a tremendous debt of gratitude,” she said.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am here as we are losing a great city manager,” said State Rep. Jerry Madden. “In all the times we get to work with people, there is no one better in the state to work with.”
Madden also revealed a House resolution congratulating Muehlenbeck on his service and his history here in Texas.
Mike Eastland, representing the International City Manager Association, said, “We in the city management association know how he is special; he has the best values and he is a role model for so many other young city managers. We just had a meeting where a young woman, the city manager of Southlake, said, ‘You know when I run into difficult situations I always pause and think – now what would Tom do?’”
Bill Keffler, city manager of the city of Richardson and president of Texas City Management Association, said, “This is quite a tribute. I have had the good fortune to work with Tom across Bush Turnpike and I have been able to see firsthand his impact on our organization. This year Tom was provided in our board meeting last week an honor that only four other people have been given in the organization since we were created in 1925. Joining Terell Blodgett and three city managers, Muehlenbeck was awarded the Distinguished Membership Recognition.
“Tom is the mentor of mentors. I have even been known to call Tom across the border to ask him how he would handle something,” Keffler said.
Muehlenbeck will be the first to admit that he might not have all the answers, but because of the staff who surrounded him, the economic foresight of all the city councils and a community dedicated to the best, he is sure of one thing as he exits public life: “If you can’t find it in Plano, you don’t need it.”
