Sunday, June 22, 2008
Westminster Street Department Superintendent Larry Bloom to be recognized MML employee of the yearThe City Connection
Bringing Employees Together
May 2008
From Marge Wolf
One of the rewards of managing in municipal government is supervising employees who grew up in the community and lived in the municipality all their lives. They bring a sense of dedication and commitment to the job that embodies small town values at their best.
While the City of Westminster is extremely fortunate to have a number of these home grown employees, I was able to select only one of them for nomination as the MML Employee of the Year.
In part, the nomination read as follows:
“Mr. Larry Bloom is the Superintendent of our Streets Department in the Department of Public Works. He does an exceptional job of organizing and directing a crew of 24 in maintaining 317 acres of City property, spreading 1400 tons of salt to keep the streets clear of snow and ice, maintaining 10 municipal buildings, sweeping streets, responding to 4300 calls for bulk trash pickup as well as miscellaneous activities such as decorating for holidays and events, displaying banners, planting trees, and staffing approximately 20 special events.
Like all DPW Superintendents, he accomplishes these activities with ingenious, creative scheduling, “duct tape and paperclips” to keep recalcitrant vehicles and equipment operating and encouraging an exceptional work ethic in his employees. However, while his exemplary job performance alone would merit a nomination, it is the following activities which are above and beyond the scope of his job description that Larry is being recognized by this nomination:
· Mr. Bloom received a “Cost Saving Award” from the City for his idea to purchase a hybrid vehicle to save gas and reduce our emissions. So far, this vehicle has reduced our gas consumption from 21 miles per gallon to 13 miles per gallon and the projected savings keep increasing with the price of gasoline.
· He has participated in the establishment of a Safety Committee to produce a city-wide safety manual. When he realized how much it was costing the City to send our employees off site to training seminars on traffic control, he enrolled in the Trainer’s Course, became certified, and now provides that training on site to all employees at no cost.
· When our new health care provider suggested that we institute an employee wellness program, Larry was the first to again volunteer—the next time we heard from him was to receive an invitation to participate in the Tuesday and Thursday morning walks with his Streets Department employees.
Mr. Bloom had mapped out a mile long walk to start the day’s activities as the initial activity of the Wellness Committee and challenged the other departments to follow suit! At our annual Employee Wellness Day, he enlisted Wellness Committee members to join him in baking Weight Watchers cookies to provide a health(y) dessert.
Mr. Bloom approaches these extra activities with the same intensity that he approaches his regular duties—full steam ahead—with gusto! His contribution and leadership in these other activities extends far beyond his own division and he provides a good role model for other managers.
It is for his exemplary work ethic and leadership that we nominate Larry Bloom
as the MML Employee of the Year.”
A panel of City Administrators reviewed the nominations and selected Larry for this honor.
Larry Bloom will receive his award at the Maryland Municipal League Convention in late June. Please offer Larry congratulations on his selection as the MML Municipal Employee of the Year.
20080619 Westminster Street Department Superintendent Larry Bloom to be recognized MML employee of the year
Westminster Dept Public Works Street Dept
Maryland Municipal League
Please find an overview of the organization here: http://www.mdmunicipal.org/about/overview.cfm
Briefly: The Maryland Municipal League, founded in 1936, works as a advocate for municipalities throughout the State of Maryland, strengthening the role and capacity of municipal government through research, legislation, technical assistance, training and the dissemination of information for its members.
MML is a statewide organization in
The Maryland Municipal League represents 157 municipal governments and 2 special taxing districts throughout the state of
Disclosure: I served on the Maryland Municipal League Board of Directors annually for five consecutive years, from June 2000 to May 2005.
I graduated from the University of Maryland Academy for Excellence in Local Government in June 2001.
I served on the Maryland Municipal League’s Legislative Committee in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.
I served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Carroll County Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League for five years (12/07/1999 – 05/16/2005).
I was first elected to the Westminster City Council in May of 1999 and served as the Mayor of Westminster from May 2001 until May 16th, 2005.]
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