to remind you that many — in fact, I’d say most — state employees go to work every day, work hard, and help people. Today, the Gov recognized several of them. Here are a few that jumped out at me:
Today at the State House, Governor Deval Patrick recognized 13 state employee groups and individuals for their outstanding dedicated public service in 2008….
The Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award is given annually to ten employees or groups of employees who exemplify the highest standards of public service. In 2008, they were:
- Eric Friedman, Director of Leading by Example, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Eric Friedman oversees the state government-wide effort to make the Commonwealth’s agencies “greener” by reducing their environmental impact, decreasing their reliance on fossil fuels and boosting government’s use of renewable energy.
- Vickie Green, Administrative Assistant, Department of Workforce Development
Vickie Green improved methods of recording staff leave time, creating an electronic record and training staff on how to use it. Her work resulted in a net annual savings of $11,023.
- Pearline Hines, Environmental Health Educator, Department of Public Health
Pearline Hines has been an integral partner with the Roxbury Lupus Project. Ms. Hines has supported the project with outreach activities and by recruiting women from neighborhoods of interest to participate in focus groups about the disease.
- Sandra Mayrand, Director of the Regional Science Resource Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Sandra Mayrand is a pioneer in K-12 science education reform. Ms. Mayrand has recruited dozens of professional scientists to volunteer in schools, developed highly successful initiatives to engage minority students and continues to provide science teachers with extensive materials, information and, most important, morale.
- Disaster Recovery Team, Office of the State Comptroller
The six-member Disaster Recovery Team developed and tested a system to allow the state’s financial systems to continue to function during a crisis. In February when an important system ceased to function, the Team’s system was activated and vendors and human service providers were able to be paid….
The whole list is here.
Carry on.
And I hereby challenge each person that reads this comment to reply with a positive story about a state or municipal employee. I’ll start:
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p>I can think of a thousand ways that public employees have made my life easier on a daily basis, from the harangued but generally-pleasant drivers of the MBTA’s B line through Allston/Brighton to the faceless folks who always make sure that I get safe, clean drinking water to my apartment each day.
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p>My example, though is a more systemic and dramatic one… We all heard about heroic Captain Sullenberger‘s Hudson River landing of the US Airways A320 in January. Not quite as much light has shone on all of the public employees without whom we would have seen an impressive landing followed by tragic deaths due to drowning and hypothermia:
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p>* Emergency planners who originally designed NY’s rescue plans
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p>* FAA inspectors – whose efforts ensure that any flights (much less dramatic landings) are as safe as possible
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p>* Crew members of the “small armada of police boats, fireboats, tugboats and Coast Guard craft” who helped remove passengers from the plane
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p>* Helicopter pilots and divers from the NY Police
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p>* EMTs who quickly arrived on scene to transport passengers to hospitals in Manhattan and New Jersey
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p>Many, many, many more… all connected by a rapid-response communications system!
David says
and Harmony challenges us to suppliment the Governor’s list of outstanding public servants.
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p>So here goes. I nominate:
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p>The men and women who work in the State House in the Senate and Clerks office who are invariably polite and helpful to uninformed but earnest concerned citizens who come in off the street trying to find out the status of a bill that had been filed to name a local bridge in their home town. The staff couldn’t have been kinder or more considerate.
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p>After 5 minutes I left only to come back to a little razzing about who did I think I was anyway. Ordinary citizens always come ahead of paid lobbyists.
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p>Thank you guys.
http://video.google.com/videop…
that the vast majority of elected people I’ve met — including, of course, our beleaguered governor — are completely delightful, and take their jobs extremely seriously.
I guess you do have to give these people credit for putting themselves out there to be bashed. Although I doubt they were forward thinking enough to see it coming. I have seen the very best and the very worst of state employees. And as far as elected officials go, I have already given Kudos to Senator Stephen Brewer, but I’m happy to do it again.
Senator Brewer shows real concern for the region he represents. He is a commonsense leader, not looking for perks or even a pat on the back. Thanks, Senator Brewer, for setting an example and for being a leader we can all be proud of.