Mayor's Office

Last week we celebrated five outstanding employees working for the City. I always look forward to this event because I get to read so many nominations describing the amazing things all of you do here for the City. I am proud to be part of this team that is always working hard to make the City of Madison one of the greatest places to live.

This month’s #TeamCity Administration award goes to Rebecca Below. Rebecca is a Paralegal Mediator at the Department of Civil Rights. Her normal duties involve providing paralegal assistance in the preparation and handling of discrimination cases for resolution, prepare and maintain information and records, interpret, analyze, and research data to prepare for hearings, and perform legal research. In addition to her regular duties she writes articles and proofreads the RESJI newsletter, and recently helped the department of equity team do an analysis of the paralegal internship position. Also, she is the department’s “copier whisperer”; which – if you have worked in an office setting – you probably know it is a valuable skill. Most importantly, Rebecca is very professional and always willing to help others, regardless of the task. Her teamwork and great contributions to the department made her this month’s winner. Rebecca was nominated by Program Assistant, Donna Collingwood.

This month’s #TeamCity Community Service & Support award goes to Carlee Latimer. Carlee is a Program Assistant for the Bubbler at the Madison Public Library. As a Program Assistant, Carlee helps keep the community and the younger generations connected to creativity, art, and inclusion. But, as it has been the case with several of us, COVID has changed her responsibilities. Now she has taken a leadership role within the Community Engagement team as well as other projects. Her insightful questions and comments have helped spark conversations to address ways in which the library can best partner with other organizations. Not to mention, that she has been working on re-imagining the Artist-in-Residence program with her team while being the voice of the Bubbler’s social media. In the words of her nominator, “she’s been wearing many hats and making it all look easy!” Her kindness, thoughtfulness, respect, and accountability have made her a great asset for her team and this month’s award recipient. Carlee was nominated by Marketing Specialist, Liz Boyd.

This month’s #TeamCity Public Health & Safety award goes to Kim Neuschel. Kim is a Nurse at Public Health Madison & Dane County. Kim’s main duties involve being the Public Health liaison for homeless and housing services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been several unknowns. However, Kim met with CDD and Dane County staff every night to help them focus on finding solutions and planning a response to the problems at hand. Kim, along with her colleagues at Public Health, were instrumental in setting up and operating the COVID-19 Medical Respite Center for people who are unhoused. This also included working many night and weekend shifts. Her tireless work and determination to help her team succeed have granted her the award. Kim was nominated by Community Development Specialist, Sarah Lim.

This month’s #TeamCity Public Works & Land Use award goes to Kenny Granger. Kenny is an Operating Assistant at the Streets department. Because of his job, he is constantly on the move. You can find him either loading mulch, clearing out the transfer station, or keeping all the trash collected by the Streets Division into the landfill. Since he joined the Streets Division in 2004, he has had three different promotions. All of this due to his willingness to help his coworkers, great customer service, and his ability to step up as manager of the transfer station when the supervisor assigned is absent. His job may be mostly behind the scenes, but it is critical to keeping the City clean and in good shape. Thank you for your great work, Kenny. Kenny was nominated by the Streets Management Team.

Lastly, this month’s #TeamCity Mayor’s Choice award goes to Ray Stanzel. Ray is a Streets Machine Operator also in the Streets department. He started his career for the City in 1997. One big project that he has been part of, and that several of us have been affected by, was planning the salt routes on the east side. With his years of experience and leadership, he helped redesign four routes that cover the isthmus and two routes on the far east side to make them more efficient without sacrificing safety. More importantly, he has help lift other employees up with their work and always takes ownership of every task. Quoting the Streets Management Team, “(he has) been exactly what we hope all public employees would be.” Every job he completes, he does it with care and skill. Furthermore, he is extremely dependable. No matter what, they can all count on him every day. His commitment and work-ethic are second to none. This is why he has been given the Mayor’s Choice award. Ray was nominated by the Streets Management Team.
 

September's #TeamCity Recognition Awards ceremony video linked here.