This week, the City of Ashland is honoring our nearly 300 employees for their service and dedication as part of Public Service Recognition Week. This annual recognition acknowledges the important work that positively affects all of us every day and is an opportunity to thank the committed men and women who keep our city vibrant and safe.
Our local government is comprised of over 20 different offices and departments performing a variety of functions—fixing utility lines, manicuring baseball fields, providing emergency medical services, and everything in between.
Hear from some of our colleagues about their time serving our community with the City of Ashland:
Matt Landers—Utilities Department, 18 Years with the City of Ashland
Beginning his career with the city in 2006, Matt started in our Parks Department, then served 7 years with the Sanitation Department before moving to the Utilities Department, where he has served for the past 11 years. To him, public service means providing and caring for our citizens in any capacity that may be, whether it’s picking up their trash and recycling every week or ensuring they have running water in their home.
“When there is a large water main break, it’s pretty satisfying to solve the issue and make some of those significant city infrastructure fixes…even if you do have to cover all of your work back up with pavement. I remember working on a break on Cleveland Avenue a couple of years back and I was up to my chest in cold water trying to get the water shut off. Not necessarily my favorite memory, but it was thrilling!”
“It’s nice when you’re out working in the community and people come up to say ‘thank you.’ I enjoy the kids the most—it’s pretty fun if you’re out with the trash truck or back hoe and they’re out there waiting on the school bus all waving at you and trying to get you to honk the horn. It’s small stuff like that too that makes you proud to do your job.”
Angela Woodward—Ashland City Council, 6 Years with the City of Ashland
Angela not only serves the public through her elected position as our Ward 4 City Councilwoman, but also as the Executive Director of the Ashland County Cancer Association for the past 10 years. In any form, she finds great joy in serving others and cherishes the genuine sense of small-town community that makes Ashland a special place to call home.
“To me, public service is helping others and putting their needs above my own. Being part of City Council allows me to help move our city forward and I really enjoy problem solving when it comes to my constituents and seeing what we can do to help make their slice of Ashland the best that it can be.”
“My first event with the city was The Big Splash pool party and that was such a fun filled day of community—full of laughter, joy and SO many ducks! Seeing everyone come together and having a great time warmed my heart. It’s an exciting and rewarding time to be involved in public service in our city and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
BJ Ritter—Parks Department, 30 Years with the City of Ashland
After serving his country in the U.S. Army, BJ returned home and began his career with the city in 1994. A real jack of all trades, BJ has worn many hats during his 30 years with us—maintenance tech, electrician, plumber, and carpenter to name a few. He even jumps in Brookside Pool for two weeks each summer to instruct swim lessons, one of his fondest memories with the city.
“The wide range of variety in the job itself is wonderful, there is never a mundane day for me. There are 52 building structures that we maintain and care for and I could be in the back hoe one day, helping out our utilities crew the next, maintaining the pool, you pick it. I’m very lucky to have that freedom to cover different tasks and develop an assortment of skills.”
“I don’t think that public service is cut out for everyone—you have to have the desire to give programmed within you, because it’s not about the money. It’s about what you put in, not what you get and at the end of the day, I always wanted to feel like I gave back to my community.”
Travis Ropp—Sanitation Department, 9 Years with the City of Ashland
Always one to have a positive perspective and willing to lend a helping hand, Travis has been serving our city for 9 years in the Sanitation Department. He views public service as a way to give back to his community and being able to help people out, even if it isn’t the cleanest job—like picking up garbage—gives him a good feeling and he knows his efforts are appreciated.
“One of my favorite parts of the job is getting to learn how to operate so many different large machines—front end loaders, garbage trucks and more—there is always new equipment or new models coming in for us to work with. Every department of the city is important and being a part of it and seeing how we move the city forward through collaboration is really great.”
“It’s always nice to see people in the community that appreciate what we do. One of my best memories is this birthday drive-by that we coordinated with the Streets and Utilities Departments for this little guy on our route who absolutely loved trash trucks. He and the other kids lit up like Christmas trees when we would come by and that was super special.”
Detective Kara Pearce—Ashland Police Division, 8 Years with the City of Ashland
Kara has quite the history serving the public in several first responder roles. Before joining the Ashland Police Division as an officer in 2016, she served as a firefighter, 911 dispatcher, and police officer in the Loudonville area for 7 years. Promoted to Detective 2 years ago, Kara admits initially this wasn’t the career path she imagined for herself, but she has enjoyed every position and the opportunities they’ve given her.
“In my role I love being able to interview kids and get to know them—being able to build that rapport and friendship with them during a time that is incredibly stressful for them. We want to take the most traumatic thing that they have probably ever gone through and make them as comfortable as possible and create a safe environment.”
“The main goal is helping people in this community and preserving our area. When it comes to being a police officer, we have the capability to truly influence lives and hopefully impact them for the better. On my first day on the job I swore that if I could make a positive difference in one juvenile’s life, I’d die happy and I still hold that to this day. When you’re able to genuinely change someone’s life, that’s an amazing part of being a public servant.”
We’d like to say ‘thank you’ to all of the men and women that serve our city—this week, and every week.
Interested in joining our team? Visit our website to learn more about current openings with the City of Ashland.