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 in a luncheon, the city took a cue from famed Tennessee native, the 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:
- The Mayor’s Star Award (Employee of the Year), which went to Vince Monaco from the City’s Information Technology Department.
- 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.
“With Eddie’s leadership for the past 10 consecutive years, our right-of-way program has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation 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