Deputy County Attorney, Gifts HCAO John Lewis Painting

Today is my last day in the office, as I complete my leave of absence and return to teaching at St. Thomas Law School. It’s the right time to thank all of you.
When I was in third grade, I imagined the same thing every time I ran out of John R. Barnes Elementary school at the end of the day. The scene was mayhem, of course, as kids spilled out through the steel and glass doors, but I saw something different. In my mind, we were all heading out to accomplish different parts of an important mission, to do something that would be good for the city and the world. When I hit that crash bar and pushed out, it felt very real.
This past year working with all of you may be the closest I have come to living out that childhood imagining. Certainly, I have been imperfect in my part of it, but the mission was always clear: to protect public safety while embracing new ideas. In that time, I have learned and grown because of what I have learned from all of you. I will come out of it a better teacher and a better person.
I will always be grateful to Mary Moriarty for giving me this opportunity to work with her and such a remarkable group of attorneys and staff. Thank you for what you do, and for the many kindnesses you have shown me.
As I go, I leave something behind: the painting that hung in my office. It is a print of the portrait my dad did of Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. I explain a little about that in this video.
With gratitude,
Mark Osler