2009 News

September 23, 2009

Bucks County Celebrates “Employee Recognition 2009”
Commissioners, President Judge Scott Announce Awards for Excellence and Long-Term Service, Salute Outgoing Chief Operating Officer David Sanko

During a festive, Sept. 22 midday ceremony on Broad St., adjacent to the Bucks County Courthouse, Commissioners Charley Martin, chairman, Jim Cawley, Esq. and Diane Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW, joined President Judge Susan D. Scott to highlight the work of the county’s 2,600 employees over the last year. As hundreds of dedicated workers filtered through twin buffet lines featuring deli wraps, barbeque chicken and salads from Chalfont’s Duck Deli, Chief Operating Officer David Sanko greeted the throng with what doubled as a public farewell.

“Over the past year, we have achieved many milestones together in our shared public-service mission,” Mr. Sanko told the gathering. “It has been my privilege to work with each of you. At a time when governments around our commonwealth and our nation are seeing their budgets stretched thin or even turned to ribbons of red ink, Bucks County is uniquely positioned to handle today’s challenging economic climate.”

The annual “Employee Recognition” event, during which the street is blocked from vehicle traffic, doubled as a forum to present individual awards for county employees reaching 20, 30 and 40-year service milestones. It also provides public recognition to the recipients of the Bucks County Government “Award for Excellence,” which is presented to a quartet of employees who have been nominated by their colleagues, screened by the Bucks Employees Saving Taxes (BEST) committee and approved by the commissioners and president judge.

“It has been another year of great accomplishment for Bucks County, as we continue to provide a level of progressive services to the public,” Chairman Martin remarked. “Over the last year, we have opened the county’s state-of-the-art 9-1-1 Communications Center in Ivyland; held the line on property taxes for the third consecutive year – marking the first such three-year span since 1994-96; continued farm and open space preservation efforts by adding more than 1,000 acres to county rolls; migrated our human resources, procurement and financial management to a new, more efficient system; moved forward with the new Parking Garage – or Phase 1 of the Justice Center project; continued to strengthen our fiscal base and bond ratings; and reaffirmed our commitment to emergency preparedness, notification and response, to name just a few items.”

Commissioners Cawley and Marseglia joined Chairman Martin in presenting a specially engraved plaque to Mr. Sanko, who is leaving county service to become the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors. The plaque featured the inscription: “With grateful appreciation for your service, dedication and commitment to the residents and employees of Bucks County.”

The winners of this year’s Award for Excellence included Walter Schmider of the General Services Warehouse staff, Regina Schwartz of Juvenile Probation, Ut Thi Le of the Neshaminy Manor Business Office and Susan Yahrling of the Board of Assessment. Following is a brief synopsis of each winner’s unique qualities:

WALTER SCHMIDER – GENERAL SERVICES WAREHOUSE

During his tenure as a county Public Works and General Services employee at the warehouse, Walter has forged a well-deserved reputation as a prompt and efficient colleague who consistently goes out of his way for those he serves. He has earned the admiration of many in the District Court system. According to a group of nominators from one of the District Courts, “Walter is one of the hardest working people in Bucks County. He always comes into the office with a big smile on his face and is very upbeat.” Since 1977, he has been making others smile. In 2006, he also was a finalist for this award.

REGINA SCHWARTZ – JUVENILE PROBATION

While delivering service excellence to colleagues and members of the public alike, Regina Schwartz personifies the description of “department receptionist extraordinaire.” During May, 2007, Juvenile Probation lost a wonderfully talented colleague and friend, Patricia Loughrey. The task of finding someone to fill Pat’s position seemed – in the words of one of Regina’s award nominators – “overwhelming and impossible to all of us.” Fortunately, Regina had just moved back to Pennsylvania from North Carolina. After having initially started with Juvenile Probation in 1993, she agreed to return and endure a long daily commute from the Lehigh Valley. She rejoined the office in August, 2007. Regina’s county career has been highlighted by her talents and enthusiasm for learning, qualities that led her office manager to note in a 1998 letter for her personnel file: “I would like to express my enormous gratitude to you for your efforts on a constant and continuous basis … I am extremely impressed with the work ethic you possess.”

UT THI LE – NESHAMINY MANOR BUSINESS OFFICE

Ut Thi Le has been a truly special County of Bucks employee at Neshaminy Manor since 1989. During 2008, she distinguished herself in the Business Office during the implementation of a new financial model to the computer system, the advent of a new administration, and the one-year absence of a long-term employee. Le consistently has proven herself to be a team player, never hesitating to offer assistance on top of her normal work load.Her methodical record-keeping and dedication to the Neshaminy Manor business office was a primary reason that the facility received the “2008 Business Excellence Award” from Genesis Health Care.

SUE YAHRLING – BOARD OF ASSESSMENT

Sue Yahrling of the Board of Assessment Tax Mapping department, is known and appreciated by colleagues as “an extremely organized manager, who is also instituting the county’s GIS system, which involves many instructional classes which allow her to transfer our mapping system onto aerial maps with complete precision. She is a very valuable asset to the county.” Blessed with a steady helping of cheerfulness, Sue mixes in leadership, customer service, knowledge, persistence, benevolence (her breathtaking flower arrangements have become a birthday fixture on her floor), optimism and caring. Sue began her career in the Board of Assessment in 1982, working toward her current title of Assistant Office Manager. As the president of CERA – the County Employees’ Recreation Association – Sue has spearheaded a reawakening of some wonderful association programs that include trips, fundraisers and the beautiful garden that greets visitors to the Court St. entrance of the county courthouse.

FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE SERVICE ANNIVERSARY AWARD RECIPIENTS:

40 YEAR AWARDEES
Children & Youth GARY H. BODENSCHATZ	Health Dept. WILLIAM ROTH
30 YEAR AWARDEES
911 DEBRA L. WILLIAMS	Corrections JOHN F. ORESIC
Courts JOAN H. FOSTER	Area Agency on Aging LOIS J. TOBIN
Security THOMAS R. WICKS MICHAEL R. YEAGER	Adult Probation LINDA S. BRANDT-LANDY
	D.C. 07-1-10 ELAINE M. CHURILLA
General Services DOUGLAS GOETZ
	MH/MR MARY B. MAHONEY ANTHONY J. SEVICK
Prothonotary KATHY M PIDGEON
Neshaminy Manor PATRICIA M. NUGENT ERNEST F. HOFERICA	Planning Commission JUDITH D. O’DONNELL DENNIS P. LIVRONE
20 YEAR AWARDEES
911 Linda Mae McKeever       Scott A. Molle William H. Jones	General Services Dominick T. DiIorio Robert A. Hansen Scott M. Warren    James Rich Landis Joseph J. Schorle
Board of Assessment Suzanne E. Cregan Mark Allen Jackowski	Health Dept. Eleanor R. Cataldo Caroline E. Loux Carol E. Riddle
Children & Youth Jade DiClemente Marjorie E. McKeone Melanie J. Zampirri	Human Resources Pam Stankunas
Comm. Development Vitor A. Vicente	Information Technology David P. Farnish Randall S. Miller
Corrections Annice R. Almond Eddie Lewis Howard Harry C. McCann II Kenneth C. Mellor Steven Pesiri Jennie Poulson Margaret A. Poulson Robert C. Schmidt  Eugene R. Setar     Charles M. Shine   Harold Smith Jr.    Scott A. Snyder	MH/MR Lisa A. Barnett Patricia A. Maley
	Court Stenographers Carole Mershon-Alborn
	Neshaminy Manor Karen L. White Den-Yu Zeng
Courts Cathy R. Price Donna L. Rodemer	Neshaminy Manor Zadie I. Ayers Kathleen M. Costello Surriya J. Gill Victoria A. Flores Patricia L. Roberts Carol C. Smith Beryl Amy Townsley Anne. T. Webster Denise Wesby
DC 07-1-03 Joanna M. Ellis	DC 07-1-04 Eileen M. Bowers
DC 07-1-08 Mary R. Frazier               Rebecca E. Notarfrancesco	Parks & Recreation Mitchell E. Davis Christine Hoenstine Craig A. Olsen William M. Mitchell
DC 07-1-10 Genevieve M. Semmens	Planning Commission Gail L. Gioia Robert H. Keough
DC 07-1-11 Susan A. Matejik	DC 07-2-03 Patricia A. Dunbar
DC 07-3-03 Patricia A. Nicholl	Prothonotary David A. Rohlfing Vickielynn S. Sanford Sandra Vizzini
DC 07-3-02  Florence Giacomelli Barbara A. Kurman	District Attorney Karen A. Diaz Cynthia Heath
Sheriff Gene P. Ingram, Jr. Jean E. Lippincott Donna L. Riss George B. Spicer Joseph A. White	Domestic Relations Gwenn A. Benhayon                       Carolyn S. McLaughlin Karen E. Winkler
	Solicitor Guy T. Matthews

 

The cost of the event was underwritten by corporate partners, including Duck Deli Restaurant, Independence Blue Cross, Wachovia, Waste Management, and TD Bank.