Mayor to Present Annual Award of Excellence For 2019

Published on June 07, 2021

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today will present the Annual Mayor’s Award of Excellence for 2019 to eight Lincoln Fire and Rescue (LFR) members who serve on the Nebraska Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team. The award will be presented at 3 p.m. at the beginning of the City Council meeting in the City Council Chambers, County-City Building, 555 S. 10th Street.

This award presentation was postponed last year due to the pandemic.

LFR Captain Daniel Ripley nominated the team in the category of valor for their heroic actions in responding to the March 2019 flooding in the areas of Columbus and Monroe, Nebraska. Members include:

  • Captain Daniel Ripley, Task Force Leader
  • Captain Mark Majors, Rescue Team Manager
  • Firefighter Robert Simons, Medical Specialist
  • Firefighter Amanda Benson, Water Specialist
  • Firefighter Webster Farris, Water Specialist
  • Firefighter Justin Henkel, Water Specialist
  • Firefighter Paramedic Brady Papik, Water Specialist
  • Fire Captain Michael Wright, Water Specialist

All monthly award nominees and winners are eligible to receive the annual award.  Each team member will receive two days off with pay and a plaque. 

The 2019 Honorable Mention Award will be presented to a five-member team from the Water Production division of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities for their work to maintain Lincoln’s water supply during flooding at Ashland in spring 2019:

  • Steve Owen, Superintendent of Water Production and Treatment
  • Rick Roberts, Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance for Lincoln Water System
  • Corbin Harms, Assistant Superintendent of Electrical/Control for Lincoln Water System
  • Eric Lee, Assistant Superintendent of Operations-Water Production and Treatment for Ashland Water Production
  • John Keith, Manager of Laboratory Services for Ashland Water Production

The categories in which employees can be nominated are customer service, productivity, safety, valor and loss prevention. Consideration also may be given to nominations that demonstrate self-initiated accomplishments or those completed outside of the nominee’s job description. All City employees are eligible for the award except for elected and appointed officials.  Individuals or teams can be nominated by supervisors, peers, subordinates and the general public. 

Nomination forms are available at lincoln.ne.gov/awardofexcellence or from department heads, employee bulletin boards or the Human Resources Department, which oversees the awards program.

All nominations are considered by the Mayor’s Award of Excellence Committee, which includes a representative with each union and a non-union representative appointed by the Mayor.  Monthly award winners receive a $50 gift certificate, a day off with pay and a plaque.