City of New Bern Honors Employee of The Year 2022

City of New Bern Employees of Year 2022 - Pictured are Cynthia Mair, Sonya Hayes, Sgt. M. Hargett, Chief Patrick Gallagher, Ryan Young, Jordan Hughes, and Foster Hughes
L – R: Cynthia Mair, Sonya Hayes, Sgt. M. Hargett, Chief Patrick Gallagher, Ryan Young, Jordan Hughes, and Foster Hughes (pictured in all photos)

The City of New Bern announces honors for three employees selected as Employee of the Year. The honorees were named at the City’s employee holiday luncheon earlier this month. Then, they were honored at the Dec. 13 Board of Aldermen meeting. Each employee received a plaque and a $300 check.

The Employee of the Year program honors one employee in each of three categories: Public Service (employees within the Administration, Development Services, Finance, Human Resources, and Parks & Recreation departments), Public Safety (Police and Fire-Rescue) and Public Utilities/Works (Water Resources, Electric, and Public Works). The Employee of the Year for 2022 is awarded to:

Public Service:                         Cynthia Mair, Human Resources

Public Safety:                            Sgt. M. Hargett, Police Department

Public Utilities/Works:        Ryan Young, Electric

“These three employees embody what it means to work for the City of New Bern,” said Foster Hughes, City Manager. “They are outstanding representatives of the City. One of the common themes within their nominations was not only their exemplary work, but their willingness to help others – both inside and outside of the organization. Customer service is a huge part of local government, and they constantly create positive experiences for the customer, be it a coworker or the public.”

The purpose of the awards program is to identify and recognize city employees who have demonstrated excellence in the performance of their job duties over the last 12 months. All regular full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible for nomination. Department heads and other supervisory staff make the nominations and then discuss them with management staff.

This award will be announced annually at the end of the calendar year. This is the first time the City has named an Employee(s) of the Year since 2009, according to city records.

By Colleen Roberts