Michelle Converse
- She provides a high quality of customer service everyday. Not only at and preparing for council meetings, but engaging with the public/business owners on the very difficult topic of public records. She cares for members of the staff and is one of the most thoughtful people at the City. She is one of my favorite people to talk to at work and I am frequently fighting for a spot in her office as other staff must feel the same way about her too.
*Even though Michelle is the one collecting the nominations, this is a very REAL nomination! 😊
- Michelle does an excellent job marshalling resources to ensure Council materials are timely and accurate, including software assistance. Her efforts are a vital part of efficient City Council operations, benefiting Council, staff, and the community.
Laura Hall
- Laura has been with the City for a little over a year as our Payroll Specialist and has worked through multiple setup changes and updates in payroll. With the payroll implementation from Eden to Munis that happened just one month prior to her joining the team, this was a major undertaking. Throughout this process, Laura found payroll processing errors that impacted some employees. She made every effort to meet with anyone that was affected, helping them to understand what the issues were and finding resolutions. She strives for an error free payroll process, continuously auditing and working through any updates, and employee changes. Laura goes above and beyond expectations working with and supporting staff. With her efforts she has made a difference in the level of staff confidence.
- For Payroll (Laura), similar scenario, no one to help her with the Payroll process. I believe Laura, Adrienne, Dori, Jeff, and Kassandra had meetings/training with Tyler. She is still finding issues, but it has come a long, positive way since she started.
Kelly Harter
- Kelly has been such an amazing addition to city hall. Her customer service skills with citizens as well as inter-department problem solving has just made things run so much smoother upstairs. I really appreciate her positive presence, it makes coming into the office so much nicer 😊
- Kelly is deserving of this award. She is always eager to help, teach and take the lead when helping customers. She is great with them in person and over the phone.
- For Utilities (Kelly), there wasn’t any training from the utility person before they left and there wasn’t much useful documentation of the processes necessary to do monthly billings, closing accounts, dealing with Title Companies, winter averaging, etc. Kelly, Dori, and Jeff had quite a bit of contact/meetings with Tyler Tech to get Utilities up and running again.
Allison Judge
- Allison has been the contact point person for the City that headed up the transition to ENERGOV for online permitting. This has been a huge success for the City for many reasons to include timely permitting, connectivity through online ability to track your permit, and 95% of counter traffic has been eliminated due to online opportunities. The work to make this happen was a small team effort but the majority of the work was completed professionally by Allison. In our opinion Allison Judge is an exceptional candidate the Customer Service Award
- Allison exemplifies our City’s values in an extraordinary way. The City’s values are to serve with respect and integrity, be responsive and accountable, be collaborative and professional and be innovative and visionary. Allison always goes above and beyond to assist those around her whether it be a contractor, resident, or co-worker. It does not matter if she is in person – in the office or working from home. She will follow up and ensure whoever she is working with is satisfied with the information provided and in a timely manner. Allison is eager to take on new tasks and train her fellow co-workers. Never have I ever witnessed Allison be anything but pleasant and poised when dealing with others. Her caring heart and positive, can-do attitude make it easy to work with Allison and you can’t help but smile when she is around!
- Allison is a favorite among City businesses and citizens as she continues to offer high quality customer service to the public. However, recently Allison stepped up to the plate and managed the very difficult task of public records for vacation coverage. Allison was not only continually positive in this high stress task, but she was willing to continue to learn and support other city staff. Allison’s attitude during this time was impressive and admirable.
Joe McKinney
- Through the year, Joe has served every department in hundreds of small but significant ways. He posts updates to the website, designs graphics, sets up surveys and online engagement, coordinates videos, and helps respond to the occasional cranky resident or two. He does it all with a positive attitude plus a few spare minutes to chat with and get to know the staff member he’s helping. Even with multiple needs coming in at once, he’s remains quick to say “Sure, I can take care of that,” helping fellow staff with their communications needs.
Dan Medina
- Dan helps me tremendously and if he doesn’t know the answer to one of my many random questions, he takes the time to go down the rabbit hole with me! He is prompt, efficient, kind, and so very knowledgeable about his work and the inner working of the police department in general. I am so grateful we have him on our team. Thank you, Dan!
Daron Uphaus
- With the various projects that I have been working on this year, I have needed Daron’s support, or support from his crews, and he has always been so helpful whenever I have a question or need anything completed. Specifically with the Main and Wood project, Daron was sure to attend each of our weekly construction meetings and was always there to offer any help or knowledge to the contractor, myself, and our Construction Management team. Daron also is always efficient and on top of any requests that I have, and very supportive of all projects.
Courtney Littrell
- Courtney had the responsibility for sending out letters regarding Sidewalk Damage to many Sumner residents and in turn was responsible for responding to many questions and concerns from these citizens about the letters. Courtney patiently responded to all of the concerned citizens with respect and patience. Courtney always has a smile on her face, even with dealing with difficult people or situations, and I appreciate her positive attitude and the influence she has in the office.
Monica Comer
- Everyday she provides excellent customer service to our patrons that visit Metro Animal Services. Monica always shows professionalism and consideration for anyone who walks through our doors, no matter the circumstances. Moments that come to mind when I think of nominating Monica for the customer service award, are when we have specifically emotional patrons at the shelter. No matter how much they may yell or swear at her, she always remains calm, professional, and still provides the best care and resources to fit that person and their needs. Monica is an outstanding employee and person; her customer service does not go unnoticed or unappreciated by staff and citizens. That is why I nominate her for this award.
Maili Barber
- Maili has been exceptional in her role, especially in enhancing our organizational cohesion. Her leadership within the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team has been nothing short of outstanding.In just her first year, Maili has organized numerous events that have significantly improved internal communication and fostered a more inclusive workplace culture. Her efforts have transformed our office into a vibrant and engaging environment, where collaboration and mutual respect flourish. Maili's dedication to promoting DEI principles not only uplifts our team but also reflects the core values of our organization. She truly deserves recognition for her remarkable contributions.
- Soft spoken, her actions speak louder than words Maili Barber consistently reaches out to others with a helping hand. It may be a coworker that needs assistance navigating the legalities of municipal business or a stranger that benefits from her support and promotion of a charitable cause. Her efforts have a positive impact on the lives of others and a nomination for a Customer Award is well deserved.
Sherrie Duggan
- Sherrie is dedicated to providing quality “customer service” too all the people she makes contact with, which includes residents, staff, and walk-in visitors to our lobby. She is always courteous, helpful and friendly with people, no matter what their temperament is, making her a positive representative of the City of Sumner.
Sergeant Loren Houselog
- Loren has done an outstanding job not only as a patrol supervisor but also embracing the role he plays with the public. His generally friendly disposition makes him enjoyable to work with and he works extremely well with other departments within our city.
Kelsey White
- Besides all the things she does for PW (having to deal with vendors such as Reed Trucking, etc., contracts, ordering supplies, keeping the department in order from travel to co-workers…Mike, Michael, etc.) she also helps anyone and everyone that needs her assistance. For instance, IT with Purchase Orders; Shops, the Plant, PD, or anyone else that needs help with Contracts. There’s much, much more; perhaps Mike, Michael, Alisa, or anyone else in her department can give you more insight.
Officer Brandon Anderson
- Brandon is someone that is invaluable in a city like Sumner. Whether being a police officer and meeting someone on the street or at a call, Brandon strives to leave that person in a better place than when he found them. He does this by giving a caring word and a bottle of water from the case he carries in his patrol car and some food that he takes from his patrol car supply. Brandon always has a nice comment and supportive smile that puts people at ease. This is also true in everything that he does, for the city, such as conducting different trainings for the city or self-defense classes at the YMCA. Brandon does a lot of this on his own time and wants nothing from it other than the feeling that he is helping others. He is always smiling and being part of the peer support team is someone that truly cares about his co-workers and citizens that he comes into contact with.
- Brandon is the epitome of a selfless servant. Brandon has taken it upon himself to set up classes/training for both businesses and citizens in the community. He is always quick to help another employee and really treats our citizens with compassion regardless of the circumstance.
Silvia Reyes
- Silvia has only been with the City for a couple months, however she has excelled at her job and it seems like she has always been here. Silvia has a special power to connect positively with the public and staff. She is able to work with citizens and city businesses to gain code compliance in record time. I have heard from the public that she is a pleasure to work with and she represents the City and its values with perfection. Most importantly, she has mentored the new Ofc. Cuellar and with their powers combined they have been able to resolve many long-standing code enforcement problems in the city. With her mentorship, Silvia and Ofc. Cuellar have taken on and resolved a large case load of code enforcement problems with empathy and compassion towards the public. Additionally, Silvia will go out of her way to support her coworkers (most notably newer Animal Officers) and her team player attitude is a strong asset to the City.
Jerry Martinez
- He always follows through with what he says he’s going to do; he is diligent in his work taking the extra time needed to ensure it is done properly. He is mindful when dealing with the public. Many of the residents who live in town know Jerry by name and will often seek him out for help. Jerry always gives straight forward answers when answering questions. Anyone that works here and knows Jerry, really enjoys working with him, because he is a team player, and he is also a great mentor when it comes to training.
Patrick Skelly
- I am pleased to nominate Patrick for the Annual Customer Service Award for his exceptional contributions as our System Administrator over the past year.
Patrick's standout achievement has been his pivotal role in coordinating the Teams telephony rollout. Recognizing the impact of the phone system on various departments, he diligently spent time with each team to understand their unique workflows. Through his innovative and visionary approach, Patrick tailored call queues and auto attendants, ensuring incoming phone calls are handled with efficiency. This not only streamlined our communication processes but also showcased Patrick's ability to think outside the box for the benefit of the entire organization.
In addition to his work on the telephony rollout, Patrick has played a crucial role in conveying the SharePoint migration to our departments. Despite initial hesitations from some teams, Patrick invested time and effort in working collaboratively with them. His dedication to helping others understand the migration process has not only eased concerns but also demonstrated his remarkable ability to be both collaborative and professional. Patrick's approach has proven instrumental in fostering a smooth transition for our staff, reflecting his commitment to the success of the entire organization.
Moreover, Patrick's commitment to cybersecurity is commendable, as evidenced by his implementation of multifactor authentication for staff and vendors. This initiative underscores his dedication to safeguarding sensitive data and resources, aligning seamlessly with the City's emphasis on security. By proactively addressing potential vulnerabilities, Patrick has contributed significantly to our overall cybersecurity posture.
In recognition of his exemplary contributions to our organization, I wholeheartedly recommend Patrick for the Annual Customer Service Award. His dedication, innovation, and professionalism have undoubtedly enhanced our customer service experience and contributed to the overall success of our team.
Beau LaCrosse
- We have a cleanup on isle seven, two gallons of cooking oil have been spilled on the floor. You can just imagine the mess to clean up. We can only wish that it would be that easy, multiple times a year the Public Works Shop responds to incidents requiring a cleanup of oils, fluids or contaminants that are spilled on the roadways in Sumner. The cleanup can become very challenging when vehicles track the fluids down the road or if the contaminants enter the storm system or nearby water waterways. Beau LaCrosse is called on, much of the time to oversee and cleanup a spill of this nature. I would like to nominate Beau for a Customer Service Award in recognition of his exceptional service and commitment to protecting the environment in these challenging situations.
Tyler Garity
- A very large “T H A N K Y O U” and a nomination for a Customer Service Award is in order for fixing our locks, changing our lights, remodeling our offices, unplugging our drains, addressing our electrical issues, maintaining our heating and AC, and so much more.
