Once upon a time in the little village of Tinytown, there was a professional baseball team called the Mightymites. They played all their home games in the Tinytown War Memorial Stadium. But the team’s owner did not like the Tinytown War Memorial Stadium. “It’s too old,” he said, “and it’s too small. So unless I get a new stadium, I’m moving the team out of this burg to a town that appreciates such a good franchise.” And when they heard that, many of the Tinytown villagers were alarmed.
“Elect me to another term,” said the mayor of Tinytown, “and we’ll sell municipal bonds to finance a new stadium. Mightymites forever.” The election was important to the mayor. He had been the Gray Party’s successful candidate for 20 years and wanted to make it 24. But this year there were new issues to deal with, and the Blue Party made those issues their own. “We need to fix the Tinytown Bridge,” the Blue Party’s leaders said. “And expand the Tinytown Waterworks and fix the Tinytown sewer system. We also need to widen the Tinytown Turnpike. The mayor has not done a good job.”
“Nonsense,” said the mayor. “The bridge looks fine and the water tastes great. Mightymites forever.”
The League of Tinytown Voters held a meeting to discuss the issues. The Blue Party brought a little engineer to speak. “We need better infrastructure now,” he said, “or the bridge might collapse, the water quality will fall, people will be infected by E. coli, and we’ll lose productive time and residents because of our bad roads.”
“Mightymites forever,” was all the mayor said, and many people cheered. But not members of the Blue Party. Even though the mayor had let things go, they were unable to find someone willing to oppose him. So they called the little engineer who spoke at the League of Tinytown Voters meeting. “We need a candidate,” they explained. “And that candidate needs to really understand infrastructure.” The little engineer had never done anything political, but he knew discussing the issues was important. “Do you think you could you pull this party up the big hill to victory?” the Blue Party leaders asked. The little engineer thought for a moment, then nodded his head and said, “I think I can.” Well, the next thing you know, the Blue Party’s leaders unveiled a sign with the engineer’s picture on it. “Our Next Mayor,” it read. “The Little Blue Engineer.”
“Do you think you can win this election?” reporters asked the Little Blue Engineer at a press conference. “I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer.
“Can you raise the money we need to fix things?” they asked.
“I think I can.”
“But can you keep the Mightymites?” they asked.
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “We can fix the old stadium and add more seats. Then, with better infrastructure, we’ll attract more residents and more business. We’ll expand our tax base. That way, in just a few years, we’ll be able to build a new stadium, if that’s what the voters want.”
“TO HELL WITH MIGHTYMITES, SAYS LITTLE BLUE ENGINEER,” was the headline of the next day’s Tinytown Gazette. “Little Blue Engineer Unfit To Govern” was the title of the paper’s editorial, endorsing the mayor.
“You’re an engineer,” the Little Blue Engineer’s wife said to him that night. “You have important things to say, but you don’t like speaking in public. And you can’t stand rejection. Will you be able to go through with this?”
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer.
The next night, the Little Blue Engineer debated the mayor on TV. “We are about to lose the Mightymites, our most precious resource,” the mayor said, “the glue that binds our community together.”
The Little Blue Engineer was uncomfortable but sincere. “I like the Mightymites, too,” he said, “but our resources are limited and we have other important needs to consider. We need a bridge and a water system and a sewer system we can trust, and a road that will make our commute faster and safer. Improving our infrastructure will make us a more prosperous town, better able to afford new developments that the people want. Can I lead us to that future? I think I can.”
It was just two days before the election and WWEE-TV Action News reported that a new survey said the mayor’s race was too close to call.
The Little Blue Engineer had only enough money to pay for one TV ad. He ran it on election eve. “This election is not about the future of the Mightymites,” the Little Blue Engineer said. “It’s about our future and our children’s future. We need to maintain what really holds our community together. We need to create infrastructure we can trust. And to have that, we need a mayor we can trust to do it. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.”
The mayor’s slogan – MIGHTYMITES FOREVER – was pasted on a thousand placards all over town. In his pre-election TV ad, which ran 500 times the week before the election, he looked into the camera and said, “My opponent knows infrastructure, but that’s all he knows. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. That’s why he’s blowing our problems all out of proportion. The small improvements we need we’ll be able to pay for easily, from the money we generate from the new Tinytown Mightymite Stadium in the first year alone. In five years, we’ll have enough for two bridges, two highways, and the best water and sewer system in the whole state. A vote for me is a vote for the future of Tinytown.”
The next day’s voter turnout was the largest in 20 years.
It took a week to count the votes. And another week to count them again, because just one vote separated the loser from the winner: the Little Blue Engineer.
“Can you do your very best to preserve and protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare?” the judge asked the Little Blue Engineer at the swearing-in.
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. And to do just that, he spoke to the Village Council. “My friends,” he said, “we need to check our infrastructure. We need to know what needs to be fixed. We need an engineering firm to rely on.”
“We agree,” said the Village Council. “Put out a call for bids.”
“No,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “It makes no sense to select a firm just because it gives us a cheap price. It will have to give us cheap service, too, and that’s something we really can’t afford. I know how much a good firm will charge for a good service. And we all know that the best quality delivers the best value. Let’s select a firm based on its qualifications, as long as it asks for a reasonable fee.”
And the Village Council agreed.
“MAYOR LETS NO-BID CONTRACT,” was the headline in the Tinytown Gazette. And the Little Blue Engineer was upset. “I think you may not understand,” he said to the editor over lunch. And he explained that, when companies compete on quality, each offers the best it can deliver, not the least it can live with. “And when we select the services together, we’ll get exactly what we want,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “No frills. Just excellence, and all for a reasonable price.”
“I get it,” said the editor. “But can you explain it to the people?”
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “But only if you help.”
And the editor did, in an editorial she wrote called, “Quality Just Makes Sense…and Saves Dollars.”
But then came the bad news. “The Tinytown Bridge is in terrible shape,” said the engineering firm Tinytown retained. “It’s been neglected for years. You need a new one. Fast.” So the Little Blue Engineer called on the governor. “Governor,” he said, “the Tinytown Bridge is almost ready to collapse. We need help.”
The governor turned to his state director of transportation. “How bad is it?” the governor asked. “Well,” said the state director of transportation, “According to our rating system, it’s SSDRC.”
“What does that mean?” asked the governor.
“Seriously structurally deficient and ready to collapse.”
“And what do you propose doing about that?” asked the governor.
“Change the rating system,” said the state director of transportation. “We don’t want people to be alarmed. So what used to be SSDRC will now be GBNSP.”
“And what does that mean?” asked the governor.
“Good but needs some paint.”
“Well, there you have it,” said the governor, offering the Little Blue Engineer a cigar. “Problem solved.”
But not for the Little Blue Engineer. “I’m an engineer,” he said. “I took an oath to protect the public’s safety, and that bridge is dangerous.”
“Well, you can’t make us spend money we don’t have,” said the governor, puffing on his cigar. “I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer, and back he went to Tinytown, and made a lot of calls.
And guess what: Two weeks later, when the governor looked out his window to see what all the shouting was about, there were 200 engineers parading around the governor’s mansion, holding signs. “Safe Bridges, Not Safe Words,” the signs said, and people were surprised. “Engineers never rock the boat,” they said. “This must be serious.” And you know what? The Little Blue Engineer was on television all over the state, telling people the truth: “The governor doesn’t want people to be alarmed because the governor doesn’t want people to know what a bad job the government’s been doing. People should be alarmed. Maybe then they’d demand better infrastructure. And not just better bridges. Better roads, too. And better water and sewer systems.”
Well, as you might have guessed, Tinytown got its new bridge, designed by an engineering firm selected for its integrity, experience, and ingenuity. Which is why the new bridge won so many national awards.
“Do you think you could tell the Tinytown story on national TV?” a television producer asked.
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. And he did, letting people know that “the quality of design is so good, our bridge was actually less expensive to build, and will be less expensive to maintain. And that will give us some extra money to help us improve our roads, and make our water and sewer systems safer, too. That makes Tinytown a better place to live, and that helps us grow. With more growth we have more revenue, and that helps us improve our schools and public services. We’re even able to start design on a new home for the Tinytown Mightymites.”
People from all over the country liked what the Little Blue Engineer had to say. They even told their children to think about engineering for a career. And more engineers began to think about running for public office. And before you could say Karl Terzaghi, more and more towns and cities elected engineers to lead. There were even a few engineers trying to become governors and Congressmen. And talk of something more. But as for the people of Tinytown, they all lived happily ever after.
“Elect me to another term,” said the mayor of Tinytown, “and we’ll sell municipal bonds to finance a new stadium. Mightymites forever.” The election was important to the mayor. He had been the Gray Party’s successful candidate for 20 years and wanted to make it 24. But this year there were new issues to deal with, and the Blue Party made those issues their own. “We need to fix the Tinytown Bridge,” the Blue Party’s leaders said. “And expand the Tinytown Waterworks and fix the Tinytown sewer system. We also need to widen the Tinytown Turnpike. The mayor has not done a good job.”
“Nonsense,” said the mayor. “The bridge looks fine and the water tastes great. Mightymites forever.”
The League of Tinytown Voters held a meeting to discuss the issues. The Blue Party brought a little engineer to speak. “We need better infrastructure now,” he said, “or the bridge might collapse, the water quality will fall, people will be infected by E. coli, and we’ll lose productive time and residents because of our bad roads.”
“Mightymites forever,” was all the mayor said, and many people cheered. But not members of the Blue Party. Even though the mayor had let things go, they were unable to find someone willing to oppose him. So they called the little engineer who spoke at the League of Tinytown Voters meeting. “We need a candidate,” they explained. “And that candidate needs to really understand infrastructure.” The little engineer had never done anything political, but he knew discussing the issues was important. “Do you think you could you pull this party up the big hill to victory?” the Blue Party leaders asked. The little engineer thought for a moment, then nodded his head and said, “I think I can.” Well, the next thing you know, the Blue Party’s leaders unveiled a sign with the engineer’s picture on it. “Our Next Mayor,” it read. “The Little Blue Engineer.”
“Do you think you can win this election?” reporters asked the Little Blue Engineer at a press conference. “I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer.
“Can you raise the money we need to fix things?” they asked.
“I think I can.”
“But can you keep the Mightymites?” they asked.
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “We can fix the old stadium and add more seats. Then, with better infrastructure, we’ll attract more residents and more business. We’ll expand our tax base. That way, in just a few years, we’ll be able to build a new stadium, if that’s what the voters want.”
“TO HELL WITH MIGHTYMITES, SAYS LITTLE BLUE ENGINEER,” was the headline of the next day’s Tinytown Gazette. “Little Blue Engineer Unfit To Govern” was the title of the paper’s editorial, endorsing the mayor.
“You’re an engineer,” the Little Blue Engineer’s wife said to him that night. “You have important things to say, but you don’t like speaking in public. And you can’t stand rejection. Will you be able to go through with this?”
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer.
The next night, the Little Blue Engineer debated the mayor on TV. “We are about to lose the Mightymites, our most precious resource,” the mayor said, “the glue that binds our community together.”
The Little Blue Engineer was uncomfortable but sincere. “I like the Mightymites, too,” he said, “but our resources are limited and we have other important needs to consider. We need a bridge and a water system and a sewer system we can trust, and a road that will make our commute faster and safer. Improving our infrastructure will make us a more prosperous town, better able to afford new developments that the people want. Can I lead us to that future? I think I can.”
It was just two days before the election and WWEE-TV Action News reported that a new survey said the mayor’s race was too close to call.
The Little Blue Engineer had only enough money to pay for one TV ad. He ran it on election eve. “This election is not about the future of the Mightymites,” the Little Blue Engineer said. “It’s about our future and our children’s future. We need to maintain what really holds our community together. We need to create infrastructure we can trust. And to have that, we need a mayor we can trust to do it. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.”
The mayor’s slogan – MIGHTYMITES FOREVER – was pasted on a thousand placards all over town. In his pre-election TV ad, which ran 500 times the week before the election, he looked into the camera and said, “My opponent knows infrastructure, but that’s all he knows. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. That’s why he’s blowing our problems all out of proportion. The small improvements we need we’ll be able to pay for easily, from the money we generate from the new Tinytown Mightymite Stadium in the first year alone. In five years, we’ll have enough for two bridges, two highways, and the best water and sewer system in the whole state. A vote for me is a vote for the future of Tinytown.”
The next day’s voter turnout was the largest in 20 years.
It took a week to count the votes. And another week to count them again, because just one vote separated the loser from the winner: the Little Blue Engineer.
“Can you do your very best to preserve and protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare?” the judge asked the Little Blue Engineer at the swearing-in.
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. And to do just that, he spoke to the Village Council. “My friends,” he said, “we need to check our infrastructure. We need to know what needs to be fixed. We need an engineering firm to rely on.”
“We agree,” said the Village Council. “Put out a call for bids.”
“No,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “It makes no sense to select a firm just because it gives us a cheap price. It will have to give us cheap service, too, and that’s something we really can’t afford. I know how much a good firm will charge for a good service. And we all know that the best quality delivers the best value. Let’s select a firm based on its qualifications, as long as it asks for a reasonable fee.”
And the Village Council agreed.
“MAYOR LETS NO-BID CONTRACT,” was the headline in the Tinytown Gazette. And the Little Blue Engineer was upset. “I think you may not understand,” he said to the editor over lunch. And he explained that, when companies compete on quality, each offers the best it can deliver, not the least it can live with. “And when we select the services together, we’ll get exactly what we want,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “No frills. Just excellence, and all for a reasonable price.”
“I get it,” said the editor. “But can you explain it to the people?”
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. “But only if you help.”
And the editor did, in an editorial she wrote called, “Quality Just Makes Sense…and Saves Dollars.”
But then came the bad news. “The Tinytown Bridge is in terrible shape,” said the engineering firm Tinytown retained. “It’s been neglected for years. You need a new one. Fast.” So the Little Blue Engineer called on the governor. “Governor,” he said, “the Tinytown Bridge is almost ready to collapse. We need help.”
The governor turned to his state director of transportation. “How bad is it?” the governor asked. “Well,” said the state director of transportation, “According to our rating system, it’s SSDRC.”
“What does that mean?” asked the governor.
“Seriously structurally deficient and ready to collapse.”
“And what do you propose doing about that?” asked the governor.
“Change the rating system,” said the state director of transportation. “We don’t want people to be alarmed. So what used to be SSDRC will now be GBNSP.”
“And what does that mean?” asked the governor.
“Good but needs some paint.”
“Well, there you have it,” said the governor, offering the Little Blue Engineer a cigar. “Problem solved.”
But not for the Little Blue Engineer. “I’m an engineer,” he said. “I took an oath to protect the public’s safety, and that bridge is dangerous.”
“Well, you can’t make us spend money we don’t have,” said the governor, puffing on his cigar. “I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer, and back he went to Tinytown, and made a lot of calls.
And guess what: Two weeks later, when the governor looked out his window to see what all the shouting was about, there were 200 engineers parading around the governor’s mansion, holding signs. “Safe Bridges, Not Safe Words,” the signs said, and people were surprised. “Engineers never rock the boat,” they said. “This must be serious.” And you know what? The Little Blue Engineer was on television all over the state, telling people the truth: “The governor doesn’t want people to be alarmed because the governor doesn’t want people to know what a bad job the government’s been doing. People should be alarmed. Maybe then they’d demand better infrastructure. And not just better bridges. Better roads, too. And better water and sewer systems.”
Well, as you might have guessed, Tinytown got its new bridge, designed by an engineering firm selected for its integrity, experience, and ingenuity. Which is why the new bridge won so many national awards.
“Do you think you could tell the Tinytown story on national TV?” a television producer asked.
“I think I can,” said the Little Blue Engineer. And he did, letting people know that “the quality of design is so good, our bridge was actually less expensive to build, and will be less expensive to maintain. And that will give us some extra money to help us improve our roads, and make our water and sewer systems safer, too. That makes Tinytown a better place to live, and that helps us grow. With more growth we have more revenue, and that helps us improve our schools and public services. We’re even able to start design on a new home for the Tinytown Mightymites.”
People from all over the country liked what the Little Blue Engineer had to say. They even told their children to think about engineering for a career. And more engineers began to think about running for public office. And before you could say Karl Terzaghi, more and more towns and cities elected engineers to lead. There were even a few engineers trying to become governors and Congressmen. And talk of something more. But as for the people of Tinytown, they all lived happily ever after.
# # # # #
Wow, Dad. That was really a great story.
Well, thank you, Tommy.
Dad?
Yes.
Do you think it could ever come true?
I don’t know, son. I’d like to think so.
You know what, Dad?
What, Tommy?
I want to be an engineer when I grow up.
That would be great, son…. Do you think you can go to sleep now?
I think I can.
Well, thank you, Tommy.
Dad?
Yes.
Do you think it could ever come true?
I don’t know, son. I’d like to think so.
You know what, Dad?
What, Tommy?
I want to be an engineer when I grow up.
That would be great, son…. Do you think you can go to sleep now?
I think I can.
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