Clarksville, TN – City of Clarksville employees who do outstanding work on a daily basis number well into the hundreds – close to 1,500 to be exact. They are indeed family, and the heart and soul of the City and its mission of providing safety and good quality of life for all Clarksville residents.
On Tuesday, at a luncheon, the City took a cue from famed Tennessee native and late recording artist Tina Turner and recognized those among the City employee family who are, as Tina sang, “Simply The Best.”
“This family of dedicated, success-driven professionals who work for our City are your friends, neighbors and relatives, and what they do each day to keep Clarksville moving is truly worth applauding,” said Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts.
“I cannot say enough how grateful I am for them, and how much I look forward to visiting with them on a daily basis. They are an inspiration to me,” Mayor Pitts said
Many employees stood out among the crowd of close to 300 at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center, representing all City departments.
But two who get a special nod this year, are:
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The Mayor’s Star Award (Employee of the Year), which went to Vince Monaco from the City’s Information Technology Department.
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The longest-serving City employee recognized this year was Eddie Combs from CDE Lightband, who has compiled a commanding record of 50 years of service to the City.
The City recognized various employees who were selected as both Rising and Shining Stars.
Monaco stood out at the very top of that list this year.
“I am honored to have been selected as the Employee of the Year,” Monaco said. “I consider the City of Clarksville as my second home, where I work with so many fantastic people. I am very proud to work for the City of Clarksville.”
“Vince is a dedicated and hard-working employee,” said Amie Wilson, the City’s Chief Information Officer. “He accepts all challenges and is thorough in his work. He remains calm in all situations and always has a smile for everyone. He is a great asset to our IT team.”
Also many City employees received pins recognizing years of service, beginning with 5 years of service, up to 50 years in the rare case of Combs.
Brian Taylor, CDE Lightband General Manager, said CDE is a “better company” because of Eddie Combs.
“Eddie has been a dedicated and valuable employee throughout his career at CDE Lightband,” Taylor said. “He has been instrumental in reshaping our right-of-way program and adapting our tree trimming to meet the Arbor Day Foundation Standards.
“Under Eddie’s leadership for the past 10 consecutive years, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized our right-of-way program with the Tree Line USA distinction,” Taylor said.
Here are this year’s Rising and Shining Stars in the City of Clarksville:
Simply the Best- Rising & Shining Stars
Rising Stars:
Stacey Burney – City Garage
Cassondra Carman – I.T.
Will Kosnitch – Building & Codes
Gina Johnson – Fire Rescue
Chris Ireland – Fire Rescue
Mark Chandler – Fire Rescue
Dominic Poston – Fire Rescue
Bobby Shepard – Fire Rescue
Richard Cayce – Fire Rescue
Samuel Eskildson – Fire Rescue
Thomas Hebel – Fire Rescue
Jeff Welker – Fire Rescue
Hadley Krantz – Fire Rescue
Brandon McCurdy – Fire Rescue
Carol Cothran – Police
Vincent Lewis – Police
Isabella Hofinga – Police
Ciara Gutierrez – CDE
Keidric Solivan – CDE
Jaden Anglin – CDE
Wendy Fuqua – Transit
Renee Cook – Transit
Marcia Lipford – Transit
Tina Watkins-Smith – Transit
Tim Collins- Streets
Colten Wallace- Streets
Ben Smith- Streets
Dakota Bulmer – Streets
Michelle Klein – Neighborhood/Community Services
Kenda Cocanougher – HR
David Williams – HR
Craig Gouthro – Buildings/Facilities
Rosa Espejo – Buildings/Facilities
Astrid Buchanan – Gas & Water
Willie Young – Gas & Water
Aaron Thomack – Gas & Water
Wesley Tierney – Gas & Water
Bradley Phillips – Gas & Water
Amanda “Kristi” Thomas – Gas & Water
Tracie Riley – Gas & Water
Anthony Imhof – Gas & Water
Brandon Cheek – Gas & Water
Cobe McVea – Gas & Water
Emily Stewart – Gas & Water
Uneeda McCloud – Gas & Water
Meagan Hinton – Gas & Water
Bradley Jones – Gas & Water
Greg Harper- Gas & Water
Jennifer Gipson – Municipal Properties
Robert Apilado- City Court
Tania English – Finance
Jacqueline Horton – Finance
Blaine Hodge – Finance
Leigh Harpel – Parks & Rec
Samantha Walker – Parks & Rec
John Kendrick – Parks & Rec
April Sialana – Parks & Rec
Katelan Thompson – Parks & Rec
Dormonique Scruggs – Parks & Rec
Shining Stars:
Jessica Lappin – Building & Codes
Darek Manley – I.T.
Willie Keene – Fire Rescue
Landon Hales – Fire Rescue
Bobby Nall – Fire Rescue
Michael Rios – Fire Rescue
Jim Eley – Fire Rescue
Andy Butler – Fire Rescue
Jobe Moore – Fire Rescue
Keenan Carlton – Police
Ashley Gibbs – CDE
Jason Mattern – CDE
Ida Kay Vaughn – CDE
Amber Vinson – CDE
Trish Miller – City Court
Brenda Tyree – City Court
Loretta Williams- City Court
Sonny Emmert – Streets
Bonny Blyzes – Streets
Ed Brittingham- Streets
JD Delaney – Streets
Anthony Minnick – Streets
Crystal Griffith – Neighborhood/Community Services
Kayla Williams – HR
Miguel Placencia – HR
Randy Hunt – Buildings/Facilities
Robert Liebig – Buildings/Facilities
Troy Holland – Gas & Water
Randell Hogan – Gas & Water
Justin Rumsey – Gas & Water
Jack Gardner – Gas & Water
Russell Allen – Gas & Water
Chris Lambert – Gas & Water
Robb Hodges – Gas & Water
Sharon Seay – Finance
Jennifer Osteen – Internal Audit
Roxanne Jenkins – Parks & Rec
