(Corrections made
July 17, 2016.)
City of Alexander
Mayor Paul Mitchell hosted an awards dinner to recognize City
employees and volunteers. The dinner and awards ceremony were held at
the Alexander First Baptist Church Friday evening, July 8.
In his opening
remarks Mitchell said, “This is the first time, that I know of,
that we’ve ever done anything like this in the City of Alexander. I
hope that next year we can continue this on, each and every year, to
honor those who go above and beyond.”
“Above and
beyond,” was definitely the theme throughout the awards
presentations. Whether it was first-responders, city hall employees,
or volunteers Mitchell expressed his gratitude for their efforts to
go, “Above and beyond.”
“I can’t do it
without them,” he said. “So this is a way of recognizing them.”
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Mayor Paul Mitchell &
Fire Chief Mark "Gator" Ridgeway |
Mark
“Gator” Ridgeway
First up to receive
one of three plaques was Fire Chief Mark “Gator” Ridgeway, who
was selected Employee of the Year. Mitchell credited Ridgeway with
rebuilding the fire department.
When Mitchell became
mayor in January 2015 the city was paying Chrystal Hills Fire
Department volunteers to be Alexander’s full-time paid
firefighters. Also, by that time, all of the volunteers had left.
“It (fire
department) was in disarray,” he said. “Lots of times I didn’t
even know if I’d have anyone to fight a fire, or do a rescue.”
Ridgeway was a
member of the fire department when it was the Woodland Hills Fire
District. In 2006 Woodland Hills was annexed into the city and the
fire district became part of the Alexander Fire Department. He
remained with the department until he left in 2013 after sustaining
an injury. Mitchell wanted Ridgeway to return as fire chief and
restore the department.
“It took some
convincing for a long time … to convince him to come back to the
City of Alexander Fire Department.” Mitchell said. “He has
restored our entire fire department, fixed all of the vehicles that
were broke, … got full-time people hired; ... we have a full-time,
24-hour, seven days a week fire department now.”
“Not only that,”
Mitchell continued. “He has managed to get us from an ISO of 3/9 to
an ISO-2.”
As a comparison
Little Rock has an ISO rating of one, the highest possible. According
to Mitchell this puts Alexander at the same fire protection rating as
Benton and Bryant. Mitchell also pointed out that Benton and Bryant
are the only other cities in Saline County with a full-time, 24/7
fire department.
“I ask Chief
Ridgeway to do ten-thousand other things besides fire,” Mitchell
continued. “I asked him, can you get a signature on some annexation
(documents) we have out here. Sure, I’ll take care of it," (Ridgeway’s response).
“He half-way runs
the street department when I’m not available,” Mitchell said.
“Anything I ask him to do, he’ll do.”
Reading from the
award, etched into cut crystal, Mitchell said, “Employee of the
Year, Presented to, Mark “Gator” Ridgeway, Fire Chief, Alexander
Fire Department, Mayor’s Award, Alexander, Arkansas, 2015 and
2016.”
After an exhuberant round of applause Mitchell also presented
Ridgeway with a certificate which reads, “Certificate of
Recognition, This honor is bestowed upon Mark “Gator” Ridgeway,
Alexander Fire Chief, In recognition for outstanding achievement and
excellence, And is awarded this certificate by Mayor City of
Alexander, July 8th, 2016, Paul E. Mitchell, Mayor.”
“A little
something, I know it’s not a lot,” Mitchell concluded.
“July 1st
is my nine year anniversary,” Ridgeway said. “I’ve been through
four mayors, four police chiefs. I’ve got the best group of
firefighters, police, brothers and sisters I could ask for; and the
best mayor. I really appreciate it.”
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| Mayor Paul Mitchell & JoAn Churchill |
JoAn Churchill
Next up was Office
Manager JoAn Churchill. Mitchell first announced Churchill, “will
be retiring next year.” He said he wants to talk her out of it but
doubts he’ll be successful.
“She takes care of
the day-to-day operations of the city,” Mitchell said. “As all of
you know I have another job. I keep in constant contact with her on
everything, on the things she needs my answer on. Things she can
handle herself she handles.”
Besides her role as
office manager Mitchell listed her other duties. “She’s our
bookkeeper; maintains all of our books, makes sure everybody in the
city gets their paychecks on time.”
“I call her my
executive assistant also,” he continued. “Once again, like Chief
Ridgeway, I ask her to go far beyond … at no additional cost, no
additional money, just her regular pay and she’s doing all this
additional work, and I really appreciate it.”
“She helps me out
on so much, nothing that has anything to do with her job,” he said.
“Hey JoAn can you check on this and find out; it’s done, I don’t
have to worry about it.”
Praising the city
employees in general he said, “All these people step up and go
above and beyond. Once again, I can’t do it without these type of
people. They make me look good.”
Reading from a
second cut crystal award Mitchell says, “Presented to, JoAn
Churchill, Office Manager, Service and Dedication, Mayor’s Award,
Alexander, Arkansas, 2015 and 2016.”
After a round of
applause Mitchell presents Churchill with a certificate. Reading from
it he says, “Certificate of Recognition, This honor is bestowed
upon JoAn Churchill, Office Manager-Accounting-Executive Assistant to the
Mayor, In recognition for outstanding achievement and excellence, And is awarded this certificate by Mayor City of Alexander, July 8th,
2016, Paul E. Mitchell, Mayor.”
Following more
enthusiastic cheers and applause Churchill said, “I think that
everybody that works for Paul will agree that he’s made working in
Alexander a good thing. And, it’s pleasant.”
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| Mayor Paul Mitchell & Oscar DeLeon |
Oscar DeLeon
The third and final
crystal award went to Oscar DeLeon. A Sargent in the Alexander Police
Department Reserve he’s responsible for up to 12 reserve officers
and reports to the Assistant Chief of Police.
Mitchell pointed out
that the reserve officers are all volunteers and are used to
supplement the department’s five full-time officers. One of
DeLeon’s duties is to insure each reserve officer is working the
minimum 16 hours a month required to stay in the program.
“Sometimes … we
got [sic] one maybe full-time (officer) out on the street at a time,
if we’re lucky to have one,” Mitchell said. “This is where the
reserves come in. They supplement and fill in so the full-time
officer isn’t out their by himself.”
“So he keeps that,
maintains hours, and (does) everything else that they might need to
be necessary to keep that program running for the taxpayers,”
Mitchell continued. “It’s a good program.”
“With the reserve
and full-time police ... we have the third largest police department
in Saline County,” Mitchell said. “And, the vast majority of
these guys are full-time city firemen.”
According to
Mitchell both last year and this year, on more than one occasion,
someone didn’t show up on time for the next shift. “He hears it
on the radio, he’ll just call central (dispatch) and check himself
10-8 on-duty and take over until someone showed up, finally,”
Mitchell said. “So, he was always there. Most of the time these
people just didn’t show up.”
Reading from the
third and final cut crystal award Mitchell says, “Volunteer Award,
Presented to, Oscar DeLeon, Alexander Police Department, Mayor’s
Award, City of Alexander, Arkansas, 2015 and 2016.”
After the applause
subsides Mitchell presents DeLeon with a, “Certificate of
Recognition, In honor of, Oscar DeLeon, Sargent, Alexander Police
Reserves, Recognition for outstanding achievement and excellence, And is awarded this certificate by Mayor City of Alexander, July 8th,
2016.”
“You’re only as
good as the people who work with you,” DeLeon said. “And, we
appreciate the opportunity to even be here to do this, and thank the
citizens to allow us to do this.”
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| Mayor Paul Mitchell & Juanita Wilson |
Juanita Wilson
Another volunteer
recognized at the awards ceremony was Juanita Wilson. A former
alderman in Ward-2 Wilson volunteers by helping at city hall.
“Miss Juanita does
so much for the taxpayers,” Mitchell said. “When we’ve got
somebody off sick at the doctor, can’t be there (at city hall) for
some reason, just call her she’s right there to fill in that spot;
take the phone calls, work the front window. Without her we’d be
short-handed at city hall taking other people away from their job.”
“If we had more
like her we could do more for the city,” Mitchell continued.
“Volunteers are always needed in the city, and some of them are
really, really special; not only just volunteer but go above and
beyond.”
Reading from the
certificate Mitchell said, “Certificate of Recognition, This honor
bestowed upon, Juanita Wilson, Alexander City Volunteer, Recognition
for outstanding achievement and excellence, And is awarded this certificate by Mayor City of Alexander, July 8th,
2016.”
“This is my city,
too,” Wilson said as the applause was quieting. “I want to help
do all I can.”
“My tax dollars is
[sic] just like yours,” she continued. “They’re (taxes) going
out to things we need done.”
“I found out this
city is in the best financial shape it’s been in since it’s
existence,” she concluded. “That gives me the right to be a real
proud citizen of this town.”
Justin Potter
Full-time paid
firefighter and reserve police officer Justin Potter was to be
presented a Certificate of Recognition, however, he was not present
at the awards ceremony. Mayor Mitchell proceeded to reflect on
Potter’s two years with the city.
“He’s done an
exemplary job as a reserve police officer in the City of Alexander,”
Mitchell said. “I don’t know how he stays married, all the hours
he puts in.”
“Last year, I
don’t know what we would have done without him,” Mitchell
continued. “Every time I looked up he was working.”
“He was filling
all those slots in along with Oscar (DeLeon) making sure those calls
(911) were being taken,” Mitchell concluded. “And, he’s done
just an excellent job.”
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| Mayor Paul Mitchell & Anthony Small |
Anthony Small
“This guy here is
one of those I’ve been talking about with the Alexander Reserve
Police Program; also one of our good, full-time paid firefighters,”
Mitchell began. “What I’m awarding him with here is for his hours
that he puts in freely.”
He, “Has put in an
enormous amount of hours,” Mitchell said. “From what I hear from
the Assistant Chief and Chief of Police his performance is top
notch.”
“He’s one of
those guys, once again, that has been there, that’s stepped up,”
Mitchell concluded. “Every time that we fall down we need these
guys to step up, and he’s one of those.”
Reading from the
certificate Mitchell said, “Certificate of Recognition, This honor
bestowed upon, Anthony Small, Alexander Reserve Police Officer and
Firefighter, Recognition for outstanding achievement and excellence, And is awarded this certificate by Mayor City of Alexander, July
8th, 2016.”
“Thanks for our
new police admin (administration) for putting up with us and thanks
for Gator (Ridgeway) for putting up with us,” Small said. “Thank
you all for letting us serve.”
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| Mayor Paul Mitchell & Robert Hawkins |
Robert Hawkins
The final honoree of
the evening was Robert Hawkins. Hawkins is also a full-time
firefighter and police reserve officer.
“Bobbie has
stepped up, like the other ones, has really, really stepped up and
has done extraordinary work for the City of Alexander,” Mitchell
said. “He’s worked when nobody else would work.”
“I let Bobbie take
a (police) car home ... because we didn’t have anybody working,”
Mitchell continued. “He was there, with that car, at home ready to
take those calls. He stepped up, he’s always stepped up.”
In summarizing
Mitchell said, “These three, with the reserves, are the ones I’m awarding this to because without them stepping up … there were
periods of time I was having so much difficulty in trying to keep
that 911 call, that you make, (have) a police officer show up at your
door.”
Mitchell
acknowledged others in the police reserves have regular jobs outside
the city and aren’t always available to fill-in unexpected gaps in
the police department schedule.
Reading from the
certificate Mitchell said, “Certificate of Recognition, This honor
bestowed upon, Robert Hawkins, Alexander Reserve Police Officer and
Firefighter, Recognition for outstanding achievement and excellence, And is awarded this certificate by Mayor City of Alexander, July
8th, 2016.”
After his
well-deserved, and a bit rowdy, round of applause Hawkins said, “I
appreciate it, thank you all.”
The coincidence that
the awards dinner was held nearly 24 hours after the sniper shooting
in Dallas, Texas wasn’t lost on Mayor Mitchell.
“With everything
that’s going on around the country today, in Dallas, there are law
officers that are not going home,” Mitchell said. “This is a way
to give back to those firefighters, the first-responders, and our
police department. I want to recognize all of them everywhere. So,
let’s give them all a hand.”
Everyone attending
responded with a standing ovation.
