OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

2025 City of Marietta Service Awards Meeting - Dec 12

City Council Archive View — Friday, December 12, 2025
BodyMarietta, Georgia
SessionCity Council Archive View
DateFriday, December 12, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:36:24

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Okay, well, welcome everybody to our service awards.

0:03

This is a great group of people.

0:04

I love seeing everybody today.

0:06

This is one of the days we look the most forward to out of the entire year.

0:10

And why is that?

0:11

Because we get to recognize all the wonderful people that we have that work for us.

0:15

We've got about 810 employees, depending on the day.

0:18

And uh it's an amazing group.

0:21

I mean, I I say it all the time.

0:22

Mayor says it all the time, the council members do.

0:25

Um I've said it today at two different events.

0:27

Um we've got the best people anywhere.

0:30

There is no question.

0:31

I mean, as I said, uh one event this week.

0:34

I mean, we've got people that could go work anywhere, anywhere.

0:37

I mean, we've got that quality.

0:39

And so I really appreciate, and I know the citizens appreciate all of you working for us in this community, being the great public servants you are.

0:47

And I do say public servants to everybody, because everybody that chooses to work for a local government and spend a lot of their life doing that, it's a calling.

0:57

Uh, it is something that you definitely are serving the public every day.

1:00

I mean, I don't care if you're in an office, you're out on the road, uh, you've got a uniform on, you don't, uh, you got a hard hat on, whatever you're doing.

1:08

Um, you are serving the public.

1:10

Um, and so thank you.

1:12

I know you don't get thank yous all the time.

1:14

Some of you get them a lot from what I've seen.

1:17

But uh I want to thank you for all the citizens and the the residents, the people who uh do business here.

1:23

Um they uh you know they talk to a lot of us, you know, when we're social gatherings, whatever else, and all we hear is good things.

1:30

I mean, really, all we hear is great things about the people that work for us.

1:34

And so it is a privilege.

1:35

I mean, a real privilege for all of us to serve with you.

1:38

And uh I'm I'm honored to be here today to recognize a lot of you for that service.

1:42

But the first thing I get to do is thank the people that uh have me here, which I want to thank greatly, and that's our city council and the mayor.

1:50

Um I know we went through some elections, uh, we've finally gotten that over with, so now we know who's gonna be there going forward.

1:57

And uh I'm very delighted to be able to say that our mayor will still be our mayor for the next four years.

2:03

And congratulations, Mayor.

2:09

And it's been a real pleasure to work for him.

2:11

He's very uh devoted to this community, devoted to the school system, devoted to our employees, devoted to everything that is Marietta, and you can see that with him every day.

2:21

So it's a great pleasure to introduce our mayor, Steve Thunder Tumblr.

2:30

Well, thank you.

2:31

This is like you say, probably the most special day in this city hall that we have every year, you know, recognizing the good job that you do.

2:40

Uh Bill talked about being devoted.

2:43

I'm looking to people that are really devoted.

2:46

In fact, I didn't know y'all were so pretty until today, so I'm proud of how y'all dress up and look good.

2:52

But this is uh as we all know, it's blessed, more blessed to give than receive, even though receiving is a lot of fun.

2:59

But uh y'all give every day of the year.

3:03

To make me to the citizens of Marietta to make this just a better place to live, to work, to play, to raise a family, to have your favorite pets.

3:13

I mean, this is just uh it's a delight.

3:16

But each one of you with your own particular skill, add to what what a great city this is, and this is a day we'd like to recognize your contribution in this year-in celebration of you working for the city of Marietta.

3:31

God bless you.

3:32

I would like joining me in those comments.

3:35

Audrey Sims, Councilman Andre Sims, uh Councilman Carl Al Kent, Mr.

3:42

Gosen, uh Joseph Gosteen, and Johnny Walker.

3:45

Is it is there another councilman?

3:50

Like Johnny, if you don't mind just come up, I think we collectively would like to say what we do, but uh we'd like to thank him.

3:59

You have me coming.

4:01

Yes.

4:02

So um it's just an honor to see all of these nice smiling faces here today.

4:08

And um, you know, without you guys, we really don't have the city, to be honest with you.

4:15

It's because of the work and the dedication that you guys have for the city of Marietta that makes us thrive.

4:22

So congratulations to everyone, and uh we'll we'll see who gets awards and all that good stuff as well.

4:30

Y'all want to see first?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████████████77%
Public Safety████7%
Technology and Innovation██3%
Public Engagement██3%
Affordable Housing█2%
Community Engagement█2%
Economic Development█2%
Office Management█2%
Procedural█1%
Summary of Proceedings

2025 City of Marietta Service Awards Meeting

On December 12, 2025, the City of Marietta convened to honor its dedicated public servants, emphasizing the city's gratitude for its 810 employees who serve as a "calling" rather than just a job. City Manager Bill Britain and Mayor Steve Tumblr led a ceremony celebrating years of service, individual contributions, and the city's ongoing commitment to community well-being through employee recognition programs. The event included speeches from council members, the presentation of specific awards for leadership and innovation, a moment of silence for deceased colleagues, and the recognition of retirees and long-serving staff members.

Consent Calendar

  • No formal consent calendar motion was recorded; the meeting proceeded through a pre-determined agenda of awards and recognition speeches without recorded votes on administrative items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comment section was held; the event was an internal employee recognition ceremony attended by city staff, council members, and family members.

Discussion Items

  • Employee of the Year: Paul Hall, Senior Police Officer, was recognized for his work with the Marietta Police Department's Crisis Response Canine Program, specifically his leadership in training "Barney" to provide emotional stability for trauma-affected students, conduct forensic interviews, and build relationships within schools.
  • City Manager's Awards:
    • Ryan Brian Rutledge, Assistant Fire Chief, was honored for revitalizing the Firefighters Support Fund and guiding the department's transition to a new work schedule.
    • Hewlett Norville (Relay Engineer) and Suntron (Network Analyst) were recognized as a team for modernizing the Board of Lights and Water (BLW) infrastructure, driving the grid logic project, and executing critical cybersecurity upgrades.
  • Daryl Dickerson Marietta First Award: Shannon Pilgrim, Payroll Supervisor, was awarded for her exceptional patience, kindness, and role in ensuring seamless onboarding and separation processes, particularly during a recent fire department scheduling transition.
  • Alex G. Newsom Memorial Award: Scott Stokes, Deputy Director of Public Works, was recognized for his 49 years of local government experience, leadership in the fleet building expansion, and the citywide roll cart conversion.
  • Rising Star Awards:
    • Jessica Giancola, Director of the Gone with the Wind Museum, for her organizational skills and management of the museum's finances and staff.
    • Brody Bear, GIS Analyst, for developing impactful economic development dashboards and his work with drones.
    • James Flynn, Purchasing Agent, who led the RFP process for actuarial services and improved procurement standards.
  • Habitat for Humanity Home Recognition: Michaela Peoples, an employee, was presented with a sign for a new home built through a partnership between the City, the School System, and Habitat for Humanity, allowing her family to return to Marietta.
  • Long Service Recognition: Employees were recognized for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service, including Robin Priest (40 years) and Steve Graham (35 years).

Key Outcomes

  • Service Awards Presented:
    • 24 employees received 5-year awards.
    • 6 employees received 10-year awards.
    • 2 employees received 15-year awards (note: transcript mentions 14 getting 15-year, then lists individuals later; specific tally for 15-year listed as 14 in text but specific naming follows).
    • 16 employees received 20-year awards.
    • 3 employees received 30-year awards (Kimberly Coosey, Grant Foster, Jason Watson).
    • 1 employee received a 35-year award (Steve Graham).
    • 1 employee received a 40-year award (Robin Priest).
    • Total years of service recognized for 25+ year recipients: 415 years.
  • Individual Awards Given:
    • 2025 Employee of the Year: Paul Hall.
    • 2025 City Manager's Award: Ryan Brian Rutledge; Hewlett Norville and Suntron.
    • 2025 Daryl Dickerson Marietta First Award: Shannon Pilgrim.
    • 2025 Alex G. Newsom Memorial Award: Scott Stokes.
    • 2025 Rising Star Award: Jessica Giancola; Brody Bear; James Flynn (accepted on his behalf by Patina Brown).
  • Special Honors:
    • A 15-year pin (mistakenly presented as 16 years) was offered to Mayor Steve Tumblr, with a concurrent tribute to Assistant City Manager Betty Kelly (absent due to a graduation).
    • Michaela Peoples received a commemorative sign for her Habitat for Humanity home.
  • Retirees Honored: Five retirees were recognized: Senior Police Officer John Atkins, Fire Lieutenant Marshal Appenzeller, Fire Assistant Chief Matthew Bolin, Parks/Wreck/Facilities Director Rich (last name not fully audible in text, possibly "Rich" refers to the speaker's colleague), and others from various departments.
  • Memorial: A moment of silence was observed for deceased city employees.
  • Next Steps: The City Manager thanked staff and families, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, and a blessed New Year.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, well, welcome everybody to our service awards. This is a great group of people. I love seeing everybody today. This is one of the days we look the most forward to out of the entire year. And why is that? Because we get to recognize all the wonderful people that we have that work for us. We've got about 810 employees, depending on the day. And uh it's an amazing group. I mean, I I say it all the time. Mayor says it all the time, the council members do. Um I've said it today at two different events. Um we've got the best people anywhere. There is no question. I mean, as I said, uh one event this week. I mean, we've got people that could go work anywhere, anywhere. I mean, we've got that quality. And so I really appreciate, and I know the citizens appreciate all of you working for us in this community, being the great public servants you are. And I do say public servants to everybody, because everybody that chooses to work for a local government and spend a lot of their life doing that, it's a calling. Uh, it is something that you definitely are serving the public every day. I mean, I don't care if you're in an office, you're out on the road, uh, you've got a uniform on, you don't, uh, you got a hard hat on, whatever you're doing. Um, you are serving the public. Um, and so thank you. I know you don't get thank yous all the time. Some of you get them a lot from what I've seen. But uh I want to thank you for all the citizens and the the residents, the people who uh do business here. Um they uh you know they talk to a lot of us, you know, when we're social gatherings, whatever else, and all we hear is good things. I mean, really, all we hear is great things about the people that work for us. And so it is a privilege. I mean, a real privilege for all of us to serve with you. And uh I'm I'm honored to be here today to recognize a lot of you for that service. But the first thing I get to do is thank the people that uh have me here, which I want to thank greatly, and that's our city council and the mayor. Um I know we went through some elections, uh, we've finally gotten that over with, so now we know who's gonna be there going forward. And uh I'm very delighted to be able to say that our mayor will still be our mayor for the next four years. And congratulations, Mayor. And it's been a real pleasure to work for him. He's very uh devoted to this community, devoted to the school system, devoted to our employees, devoted to everything that is Marietta, and you can see that with him every day. So it's a great pleasure to introduce our mayor, Steve Thunder Tumblr. Well, thank you. This is like you say, probably the most special day in this city hall that we have every year, you know, recognizing the good job that you do. Uh Bill talked about being devoted. I'm looking to people that are really devoted. In fact, I didn't know y'all were so pretty until today, so I'm proud of how y'all dress up and look good. But this is uh as we all know, it's blessed, more blessed to give than receive, even though receiving is a lot of fun. But uh y'all give every day of the year. To make me to the citizens of Marietta to make this just a better place to live, to work, to play, to raise a family, to have your favorite pets. I mean, this is just uh it's a delight. But each one of you with your own particular skill, add to what what a great city this is, and this is a day we'd like to recognize your contribution in this year-in celebration of you working for the city of Marietta. God bless you. I would like joining me in those comments. Audrey Sims, Councilman Andre Sims, uh Councilman Carl Al Kent, Mr.

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