by Larry Felton Johnson

Government workers often have a bad reputation, which we at the Courier think is unfair.

We all get frustrated with long lines, roads the don’t get repaired as fast as we’d like, and the occasional confusing interactions with local government staff over regulations.

But local government employees keep our cities and the county humming along.

Local government staff is a conduit between the elected government and the people. 

They are not only the people’s voice in government institutions and agencies but also the ambassador of government policies and programs at the grassroots level. 

They ensure that citizens are aware of their rights, responsibilities, and opportunities provided by the local government.

These professionals have the responsibility to implement and supervise a variety of programs in many sectors, including health, education, infrastructure, and social services. 

They are the ones who issue permits, inspect facilities, manage the municipal budget, maintain local law and order, and manage public utilities. Their operational efficiency translates directly into the quality of services received by citizens.

Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin and City Manager Bill Bruton current and recently retired employees who served Marietta with distinction.

We’ve reprinted the award recipients as they appeared in the announcement on the Marietta website:

City Manager’s Award

Marietta City Manager Bill Bruton awarded Tracey Cephas, Sanitation Foreperson, Public Works, Shelly Drewry, Purchasing Agent II, Finance, and Raymone Calhoun, City Service Worker, Sanitation, Public Works, the City Manager’s Award for Exceptional Service for their accomplishments, hard work, and dedication to the City. This award is presented to employees or groups of employees who provide the best internal service to their fellow colleagues and external service to the public and is generally seen as epitomizing public service.

Darrell Dickerson Marietta First Award

Danny Fischer, Firefighter Engineer, in the Marietta Fire Department received the Darrell Dickerson Marietta First Award, which includes a plaque and $500 endowment. This award is given to an employee who serves as an ambassador for the City of Marietta, both internally and externally, and who cares about the City and its employees.

2023 Employee of the Year

Rachel Langelotti, Economic Development Project Manager, City Manager’s Office, was recognized as the Employee of the Year for 2023. The Employee of the Year award is presented to an employee who is singled out by supervisors, peers, citizens, and customers of the City of Marietta and Board of Lights and Water for consistently having a professional attitude, providing quality customer service, creating an atmosphere of teamwork, having good attendance, and their willingness to serve as a role model.

Supervisor of the Year

David Collins, Lieutenant, in the Marietta Police Department, received the Alex G. Newsome Memorial Award for Supervisor of the Year. Alex G. Newsome was an employee of the City of Marietta for 35 years. As Superintendent of Electrical Services, Newsome was known for his knowledge of his craft, dedication, excellent teaching skills, tender heart, sense of humor, and homegrown vegetables.

Rising Star Award

Leigh Nagy, Permit Technician, Public Works, Andre Maddox, Power Control Tech, Electrical Department, Abigale Reyes, Foreperson, Parks, Recreation and Facilities, and Barney, K-9, Marietta Police Department received the Rising Star Award. This award is presented to full-time employees who have less than two years of full-time service and have made a significant impact in their time with the City. 

About the City of Marietta

The City of Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County. The latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau puts the population of the city at 60,867 which makes it the second largest city in Cobb County by population, smaller only than the newly incorporated City of Mableton.

Here are a few quick facts from the Census Bureau

Marietta city, Georgia
Population, Census, April 1, 2020	60972
Population, Census, April 1, 2010	56579
Age and Sex
Persons under 5 years, percent	6.7%
Persons under 18 years, percent	21.8%
Persons 65 years and over, percent	13.2%
Female persons, percent	49.9%
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent	53.4%
Black or African American alone, percent(a)	32.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a)	0.6%
Asian alone, percent(a)	1.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a)	0.0%
Two or More Races, percent	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino, percent(b)	15.7%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent	46.4%
Population Characteristics
Veterans, 2016-2020	2678
Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020	16.6%
Housing
Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2016-2020	44.0%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2016-2020	$310,100
Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2016-2020	$1,856
Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2016-2020	$526
Median gross rent, 2016-2020	$1,145
Families & Living Arrangements
Households, 2016-2020	24148
Persons per household, 2016-2020	2.39
Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2016-2020	77.9%
Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2016-2020	23.7%
Computer and Internet Use
Households with a computer, percent, 2016-2020	95.1%
Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2016-2020	86.6%
Education
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	88.6%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	44.0%
Health
With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2016-2020	6.3%
Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent	20.2%
Economy
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	67.2%
In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	61.2%
Total accommodation and food services sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	264544
Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1584232
Total manufacturers shipments, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1129407
Total retail sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1976915
Total retail sales per capita, 2012(c)	$33,875
Transportation
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2016-2020	28.5
Income & Poverty
Median household income (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$59,594
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$36,112
Persons in poverty, percent	14.1%
Businesses
All firms, 2012	10501
Men-owned firms, 2012	4934
Women-owned firms, 2012	4186
Minority-owned firms, 2012	4286
Nonminority-owned firms, 2012	5502
Veteran-owned firms, 2012	1015
Nonveteran-owned firms, 2012	8663
Geography
Population per square mile, 2010	2451.4
Land area in square miles, 2010	23.08