Five Things I learned from Cleveland

March 29, 2016 is a day I will never forget. That was the day that Cleveland Grimes, my boss and mentor passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58. Cleveland was the Executive Director of the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority. (WWTA) He worked there for 35 years and was one of the most respected employees in Hamilton County. Not only was Cleveland a dedicated director, he was a dedicated family man and was devoted to serving his community. He was the founding member of the North River Soccer Association and served as the Executive Vice President of the Tennessee State Soccer Association. In 2016 the Tennessee State Legislature passed a resolution in Cleveland’s honor. The soccer complex that Cleveland directed was renamed to the Cleveland T. Grimes Soccer Complex. In 2016, just a few months after his passing Cleveland was awarded posthumously the Water Association of Tennessee and Kentucky, Golden Manhole Award. I had the sincere honor of accepting that award. These are just a few of the examples that portray Cleveland’s legacy.

Accepting the Golden Manhole Award.

Like so many people that knew Cleveland, the sudden shock of his death was immediately replaced with extreme sadness. Several hundred people attended his funeral, and the Olivet Baptist Church in Chattanooga was at capacity. The roughly five-mile drive from the church to the cemetery where Cleveland was put to rest had City and County police blocking every intersection. If you didn’t know what was happening, you would have thought a celebrity died. While Cleveland may not fit the traditional definition of a celebrity, he was a celebrity to those who knew him.

Cleveland was my boss for five years. He was also a mentor and father-like figure. I would refer to him as my Chattanooga dad. Aside from my father, Charles Webb, Cleveland taught me more than any other man I know or have known. From the first day I started working for Cleveland, on July 13, 2011 to the last time we spoke, which was a phone call just an hour before he died, Cleveland taught me immensely.

To recognize the fifth anniversary of Cleveland's passing, here are five things Cleveland taught me. I should say there are a lot more things Cleveland taught me. It was hard to pick five.

1. Always Do the Right Thing. Cleveland always said this. “Do the right thing.” Cleveland had the toughest job in Hamilton County. Cleveland had to deal with pressure from many different groups. The EPA and Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (TDEC) would pressure Cleveland about following the Clean Water Act. (CWA) In order to comply with the CWA rates had to be raised. That made citizens upset. Citizens being upset meant more pressure from the County Commission. Not following the CWA wasn’t the fault of Cleveland. Most the sewer system in the WWTA was inherited from cities and towns who couldn’t keep up with the maintenance of their systems. As such, Hamilton County inherited those systems. But taking on systems from those jurisdictions meant pressure from those jurisdictions as well. Every day Cleveland dealt with pressure from many different groups. But despite all of that. He always said, “Do the right thing.” He just didn’t say it, he practiced it. He never let the pressure get to him, because he knew he was doing the right thing.

2. Establish a Standard Procedure. As you can imagine from item 1, there were a number of different things that Cleveland had to deal with. But he always handled them with class and excellence. Not only because he did the right thing, but because he had a standard procedure. Cleveland was all about establishing a standard procedure for just about every process there was. From reviewing plans to conducting inspections, to conducting board meetings. There was a standard procedure for just about every process. I believe that Cleveland was able to do the right thing because he established a standard procedure.

3. See the Good in Others, (Even When They Don’t See the Good in You) There were a number of people who attacked Cleveland. From County Commissioners to citizens. Cleveland was attacked on many levels. Those people did not see the good in Cleveland. But that didn’t matter to Cleveland. He saw the good in those people. It was probably his most endearing quality. Cleveland found a way to see the good in people, that did not see the good in him. If we all did our communities would be a much better place.

4. How to Word E-mails. This may seem like a basic thing. But I remember it was November of 2011. I had been working for five months. I was new to my professional career. This was my first engineering job out of college. I remember typing an e-mail to a consulting engineer with the e-mail saying, “Anything else just ask.” I honestly thought I was being courteous and helpful. Cleveland pulled me into his office and said, “Chas I want to talk to you about that e-mail you just wrote.” I was honestly confused. I thought I had typed a good e-mail. Cleveland pointed out to me that the phrase “Just ask” is not professional. Cleveland then directed me on how to phrase that better. In the years following that incident Cleveland would guide and coach me at times on how to write professionals, even in difficult situations.

5. Document your Phone Calls. Like item four, this may seem basic. However, documenting phone calls is something that not everyone does, and it’s something that should happen. With e-mails being written communication that can be easily accessed, there’s very little additional documentation that needs to occur. I remember it was the Fall of 2014. Cleveland and I were working with a community that had a sewer moratorium. The community of Signal Mountain was very eager to get out of this moratorium. The Signal Mountain Moratorium Project was a very important project for all parties involved. On one particular day, the Mayor called me about a project and left a message. I called him back and left a message. Then a week later the Mayor sent an e-mail to myself and Cleveland asking why there hadn’t been any follow up on this project. I told Cleveland that I had called him. Cleveland responded with, “E-mail if you can, but if you do call, follow up with an e-mail to the person or yourself. You should always document your phone calls.”

As I previously said, I learned a lot more than five things from Cleveland, but these were the ones that stood out to me. I’m incredibly grateful for Cleveland’s impact on my life and I know I’m not alone. God bless you Cleveland.