Weekly comments from Dale Martin – ” . . . staff deserves recognition for their professionalism and dedication.”

By Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
February 5, 2021

Earlier this week, I received this email message:

Dear Mr. Martin,

I wanted to let you know of a “job well done” by one of your City employees, Joe Evans in Wastewater Management. Late last week, I contacted Joe Evans about a reported blockage and root invasion issue with the sewer pipes leading from 12 S 6th Street to the city street. Joe promptly returned my call and within 15 minutes, he and his crew were at the property scoping the pipes. He patiently explained the process to me and the homeowner, providing us with video and clarification that put our minds at ease.

His knowledge, professionalism, patience and kindness was so much appreciated, and so rare these days. I wanted to reach out and make sure you and your colleagues knew what a tremendous employee you have in Joe, and how well he (and his crew) represented the City of Fernandina.

I’m sure you hear a lot of complaints, and all too often a sincere thank you and appreciation for outstanding work performance goes unnoticed and unrewarded. I wanted to make sure that the opportunity to recognize Joe was not missed, and thank you again for employing such a terrific professional.

As expected, I am often the public face of City staff. Many of the Department Directors are familiar to the public through their participation at City Commission or other board meetings. As some of the more recently hired Directors gain confidence and experience in their new roles, an enhanced sense of collaboration is growing among all departments.
It is the relatively unknown “Joe Evans” of the City workforce, however, that continue to do the daily “heavy-lifting” that keeps this City functioning. Every department has these reliable staff that most often works behind the scenes, at most a voice on the phone or an otherwise anonymous person in a City-logo shirt. In addition to the Directors, these are the people that make my job not only easier, but wonderfully enjoyable.

I will share a few names more than Joe Evans for now, but all of the junior staff deserves recognition for their professionalism and dedication.

Ms. Cathy Sabbatini continues to accept additional responsibilities as the lead administrative assistant at the City’s maintenance yard. When I first arrived in Fernandina Beach, Ms. Sabbatini (a Navy veteran) worked at City Hall with the City Clerk’s Department. Her work as an administrator is impressive enough that I tried to lure her to replace Ms. Bednar when Ms. Bednar left my office. Ms. Sabbatini offered her regrets and declined the position, articulating that she believes (and I fully concur) that she is more valuable to the City in her current role. Other able administrators that support City maintenance efforts include Susan Filipowski, Hannah Lee, and Antoinette Brown.

Other highly experienced staff operating out of the maintenance facility include Chad Manning (Fleet), Randy Maxwell (Facilities), and Jimmy Graham (Streets). At the nearby Utility Administration building, Juan Brown (Water), Joe Cooner (Wasterwater), Trey Rimes (Stormwater), and Melissa Howard (Utility Billing). All of these second-line supervisors manage additional junior staff to ensure continuing safety and operation of the City’s most valuable infrastructure and equipment.

At City Hall, Karen Austin and Ashley Manning (Building Department) are the key personnel that interact with the public. Managing the administrative staff of the Building Department, which also includes Joni Johnson and Ashley Butler, is Angie Lester. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the workload in the Building Department continues to be close to, if not exceeding, historic highs. On the other side of City Hall, Sylvie McCann and Taylor Hartman provide valuable support to the Planning and Conservation Department. Kim Briley, Lilly Russell, and Virginia (Gigi) Hudecki offer great support to City Clerk Caroline Best, as do Teresa Bryan and Stephanie Brown to Human Resources Director Denise Matson.

Alisha Brown, Scott Mikelson, Jason Brown, John Coverdell, and Joe Pitcheralle lead various Parks and Recreation divisions. Wendy Gaskill and Kaleigh Simmons are the administrative backbone of the Police and Fire Departments, respectively. Susan Carless (Finance) and Katie Newton (Legal) are exceptional professionals in their fields.

That is a short (and incomplete) list of many of the people that operate, for the most part, outside of the public view. They, and all other City staff, are critically imperative to the success of City operations.

I am thrilled and proud to work with all of them.