Council staff recognised for decades of service
Mary Quigley, Noel O’Keeffe and Mary O’Brien, with Sean McKeown, Chief Executive Waterford City and County Council and Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan. Photo: Noel Browne
Over 200 staff members of Waterford City & County Council were honoured with awards last week in recognition of their years of service to the local authority.
During the awards ceremony, tributes were paid to the long-serving staff members who have worked with the organisation spanning 25 years to almost 50 years of service.
Three staff members were honoured with Diamond Service Awards for exceptional service.
Mary O’Brien, Mary Quigley and Noel O’Keeffe have each served just short of 50 years with Waterford Local Authorities.
The certificates of long service were presented to each staff member by Sean McKeown, Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council.
Congratulating the staff members for their dedicated service, Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan said, “Whether maintaining roads and housing, supporting communities, protecting our environment, delivering services, guiding development, responding to emergencies or shaping long term strategy, your work has directly improved the daily lives of citizens across the county.
“Very often the public may not see the effort behind the scenes, the early starts, the difficult decisions, the steady persistence required to keep services running smoothly, but that dedication is what keeps our communities strong.”
Sean McKeown, Council Chief Executive, presented the awards to indoor and outdoor staff members working across a wide range of departments within the local authority, including fire services, housing, cleansing and maintenance, property management, community, economic development, roads and environment.
Paying tribute to the staff, Mr. McKeown said, “I know that for many of you, this journey has meant early mornings in the wind and rain to keep our city and county clean, for others it is attending at scene of an accident, for others it has meant handling those difficult phone calls or meetings by being the calm, professional voice for a citizen who needs help.
“Whether you are based in a machinery yard, a library, a fire station, a roads depot, an amenity site, or any of our offices across the city and county, you have been the steady hands that Waterford relies on."
