SAN ANGELO,TX- Friday afternoon, the City of San Angelo recognized over 131 public servants totaling 1,765 years of service to the City at the Fort Concho Stables, 630 S. Oakes St.
During the recognition ceremony, everybody conversed under a stream of hanging lights in a welcoming atmosphere. Daniel Valenzuela, city manager, started by thanking all of the City’s public servants.
“It’s an honor to recognize employees who have been that dedicated to [the City],” Valenzuela said.
In his opening remarks, Valenzuela talked about how rare it is for public servants to stay in one city after three to four years of service.
“We are very blessed to have individuals working here who serve anywhere from five years to 40 years,” Valenzuela added. “These awards allow [the City] to express our gratitude to the employees.”
The San Angelo City Council also congratulated all the public servants by greeting them one by one as they went up to receive their certificates.
Service awards were presented to employees celebrating 5- 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, 30-, 35- and 40-year milestone anniversaries.
Fire Chief Brian Dunn gave his regards to all the members of the San Angelo Fire Department (SAFD), and among them were Retired Battalion Chief Ricky Long and bunker gear technician Duane Drew, who were both recognized for 40-years of service to San Angelo. Click here to read about Chief Long’s retirement ceremony last month.
Police Chief Frank Carter was next to show his appreciation for the members of the San Angelo Police Department.
“I think it’s great for the City to put on a ceremony to appreciate their employees,” Chief Carter said. “I’m very proud of all the [public servants], and all their jobs are equally important to me.”
He also gave special acknowledgment to Assistant Chief Robert Martinez for his 35 years of service to the police department. Chief Carter said he’s been deemed “the Godfather” and “the Grandfather” of the department.
“This younger generation looks up to these guys,” Chief Carter said. “They have the knowledge to teach these younger guys who move up the ranks.”
San Angelo Mayor Dwain Morrison was also very appreciative for the service of these public servants.
“We’ve got some tremendous city employees,” Morrison said. “They go above and beyond for this city.”
The following are the total number of awards for each group by years of service:
- 5 years: 39 employees
- 10 years: 37 employees
- 15 years: 17 employees
- 20 years: 14 employees
- 25 years: 17 employees
- 30 years: three employees
- 35 years: two employees
- 40 years: two employees
These awards were given to public servants across all city departments, like Parks and Recreation, Animal Services, and Building Permits and Inspections, to name a few.
“Sometimes, these can be very thankless jobs,” Valenzuela said. “This gives [the City] a chance to say “thank you” if the [employees] haven’t heard it enough.”
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