Sweeten finds home as city administrative technician

Snapshot: Beth Sweeten
Mark Wilson/News Tribune
Beth Sweeten is an Administrative Technician at the city.
Snapshot: Beth Sweeten Mark Wilson/News Tribune Beth Sweeten is an Administrative Technician at the city.

As Jefferson City's Public Works administrative technician, Beth Sweeten said she feels like she is "home" in her position.

Sweeten writes and sends street closure and downtown parking news releases, issues right-of-way permits and notices for construction project bids, works on billing for the city's Street and Parking Divisions, and often runs the front desk. She serves as secretary for the city's Transportation and Traffic Commission, Jefferson City Airport Advisory Committee, Capital View Levy District and Government Utilities meetings.

"There's a wide variety, and I think that's what I like about it so much - because it's never the same thing day to day," she said. "It doesn't feel like I'm coming and sitting here and staring at a computer for eight hours straight. I'm getting up, going to the front desk, assisting people with parking permits and right-of-way permits, answering the phones, getting ready for meetings. So I'm not just stuck in my cube all day."

Sweeten has been with the city for about four years. Prior to working for Jefferson City, she worked a couple of state jobs for about 10 years, seven or eight of those years in the Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator as an administrative assistant for the information technology department.

"I finally feel like I'm home," she said. "I do feel like this just fits, working just the right amount with the public and my coworkers and still getting to see a variety of fresh faces on a daily basis."

Working with the public can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes her favorite part of the job can be the most challenging.

"The biggest plus and downfall can be the same thing - the public," Sweeten said. "There are some people, no matter how hard you try to keep them abreast on situations and construction going on, there's still that one person that may not have seen the press release or may not have gotten the letter about the meeting notice. And when they call in or come, they're not always the happiest because they feel this is all being done without them knowing.

"All you can really do is empathize with them, and usually by the time they leave, they're usually in a calmer place."

For someone interested in becoming an administrative technician, Sweeten advises "keeping a smile on your face," not taking the job home and staying up to date on local issues.

When she's not working at City Hall, Sweeten enjoys camping, boating and going to sporting events with her husband and three children.