Congratulations to Nick Burns of the Information Technology Department on being named our R-SPIRIT Employee of the Year. Congratulations also to finalists Denise Robbins of the Police Department and Tanner Arwine of the Parks & Recreation Department.
The R-SPIRIT award is presented annually to an employee who exemplifies the city’s core values of Respect, Service, Productivity, Integrity, Responsibility, Innovation and Teamwork. Nominations are submitted by city employees and the finalists and winner selected by a committee of their peers.
Nick has worked for the city for 9 years as the IT Communications Analyst. He was recognized for his teamwork in assisting the Police Department with the installation and configuration of vehicle and body cameras. His nomination stated: “Nick took it upon himself to guarantee the success of this project. What drove Nick to achieve this success? TEAMWORK! He knew the responsibility the I.T. Department held for this project, and he simply was not going to give up.” The nominator also stated: “Nick treats everyone with respect, he values any type of input from others (good or bad)… Nick is always positive, and will always take the time to assist others. The city is lucky to have an employee like Nick Burns.”
The award was presented during an employee reception on February 12, 2019. The City Manager’s Office and City Council also recognized the following employees who have reached their 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 year anniversaries with the city.
5 Years of Service
Jose Becerra, Police
John Bitner, Public Works
Brent Blevins, Fire
Lester Champion, Public Works
Gavin Colby, Police
Aaron Dixson, Police
Jesse Francis, Fleet
Bennie Frazier, Public Works
Nora Garcia, Neighborhood Services
Cindy Garvin, Planning & Inspections
Kelly Hardin, Police
Chad Hathorn, Police
Susan Honea, Public Works
Carissa Katekaru, Police
Heather Lowe, Police
Daniel Munter, Parks & Recreation
Billy Owens, Fire
Michael Pastre, Planning & Inspections
Olga Perez, Finance
Katherine Ratcliff, Information Services
Richard Rhoades, Parks & Recreation
Rachel Smith, Municipal Court
Thomas Spencer, Fire
Sarah Swanston, Parks & Recreation
10 Years of Service
Timothy Garza, Fleet
Mark Hill, Finance
Craig Hulse, Economic Development
Maria Lindsey, Public Works
Mark Mills, Finance
Lauren O'Brien, Police
Bobby Reeves, Jr, Parks & Recreation
Matthew Rohmer, Parks & Recreation
Charles Sanchez, Fire
Matthew Soltis, Police
15 Years of Service
Audrey Cappallo, Neighborhood Services
Charles Ford, Police
Joshua Oler, Public Works
Kyle Spooner, Information Services
Caroline Waggoner, Public Works
Felisiano Yanes, Public Works
20 Years of Service
Boe Blankenship, Public Works
Thomas Bulger, Police
Paul Coutant, Parks & Recreation
Jeff Garner, Police
Eric Gudjohnsen, Fire
Tina Hansen, Information Services
John Harding, Police
Peggy Hoffpauir Lewis, Library
Kenneth Rawson, Fire
Michael Salazar, Parks & Recreation
William Schneider, Police
Jonathan Stieg, Police
Kathleen Tharp, Police
Curtis Westbrook, Police
Jeff Williams, Police
25 Years of Service
David Drake, Police
Warren Egerton, Police
Barbara Humphries, Municipal Court
Bill Thornton, Parks & Recreation
30 Years of Service
Jesse Byrd, Public Works