Friends,

Last week was Public Service Recognition Week, and we made time to show our thanks and appreciation to the 2,500 team members who work for the City of Little Rock. These dedicated public servants are responsible for the day-to-day operations that make our City one of the best in the country. Whether it's the first responder who helps keep us safe, the public works employee providing essential services like sanitation or street maintenance, or a Zookeeper answering a child's question, Little Rock city employees go above and beyond to improve the quality of life and place for all our residents.

During Public Service Recognition Week, we presented special awards to three individuals. The Mahlon A. Martin Award for Employee of the Year was presented to Fire Marshal Vanessa Lowe. Additionally, I presented the Mayor's Award of Excellence to both Latreasa Sanders of the Little Rock Police Department and Kevin Pruett of the Public Works Department.

The Mahlon Martin Award is presented annually to someone who consistently exceeds expectations and reflects a spirit of creativity, compassion and commitment to the job. Fire Marshal Lowe was nominated for the award by Fire Chief Delphone Hubbard, who said she "has a strong desire of improving the quality of life for all residents of Little Rock."

Lowe is the first African-American woman ever assigned to Little Rock's Fire Marshals' Bureau. She holds a Master's Degree from Bethel University, yet she is consistently seeking out additional learning opportunities. At the same time, she's teaching others. Not only does she make fire safety presentations around the community, she's become an inspiration to young women who want to enter the firefighting profession. She's worked for the Fire Department for almost seven years.

I presented an Award of Excellence to Latreasa Sanders for her consistent performance and exemplary work ethic as administrative services manager at the Police Department. She's been focused on improving efficiency throughout the office since she started at LRPD in September 2020. LRPD Chief Heath Helton attributes the Department's progress to Sanders, who is passionate about her work and always will "go beyond" what's required.

Kevin Pruett of the Public Works Department is this year's other Award of Excellence recipient. He is considered "GIS Extraordinaire" by the Public Works team for his efforts related to data management. After the March 31 tornado, Pruett went to work immediately to help set up a data-collection component to the City's emergency response, a pivotal early step in the recovery process. Thanks to the leadership of Pruett and others, we were able to provide FEMA, the state and the public with timely damage assessments and we improved the efficiency of our disaster response.

Though I've taken the time to talk about three award recipients, I know that all 2,500 team members are winners. We appreciate their service and dedication to the City of Little Rock. 

• The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m. at The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock Facebook and YouTube pages. To view the agenda, click here.
• The City is soliciting public input on an update to its Stormwater Management and Drainage Design Manual. Interested stakeholders are asked to participate in an online survey and offer feedback at a series of public meetings. The first public meeting is Wednesday, May 17, at 6 p.m. at Dunbar Community Center, 1001 W. 16th St.
• The Little Rock Board of Adjustment meets Thursday, May 18. at 4 p.m. at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St. The Board considers variances to the City's zoning ordinance.  
• I will share an update on our tornado recovery efforts during a biweekly press briefing on Friday, May 19, at 11 a.m. The briefing will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube.