July 7, 2023 |
Photo – DeBari Martinez receiving award – Courtesy City of Rawlins
Long-time councilman DeBari Martinez, now retired, and other municipal staff were honored at the Rawlins City Council meeting this week.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Mayor Terry Weickum said the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, or WAM, presented five awards during last month’s meeting in Cody. Mayor Weickum said the City of Rawlins received most of the honors.
Mayor Weickum said long-time Rawlins city council member DeBari Martinez and the city’s parks and recreation department were both acknowledged for their service by WAM. The mayor also said Councilwoman Tonya Lewman and City Clerk Lynn Shearer received WAM scholarships.
Mayor Weickum presented former councilman Martinez with his WAM Honorary Member Award. To become an Honorary Member, one must have a long history of service in improving city government, leading statewide efforts for municipal governments through WAM, and not working as an elected official or staff member of a municipality. Mayor Weickum, reading from the nomination letter the city sent to WAM, said Martinez has done a lot of good for the city of Rawlins in his four decades of service.
Martinez was elected to the Rawlins city council in 1973 and remained a council member until 2011. He served as mayor from 2001 to 2003. After a brief political hiatus, Martinez was reelected to the city council in 2015 and retired from politics at the beginning of this year.
Continuing to read from the nomination letter, Mayor Weickum said Martinez served on the WAM board, among others. The mayor said Martinez never missed a WAM meeting.
Mayor Weickum continued to read the WAM Honorary Member Award nomination letter. The mayor said Martinez would go out of his way to talk to residents and bring their concerns up during council meetings. Mayor Weickum said Martinez always had the best interest of the city in mind.
For those reasons and more, Mayor Weickum said the city nominated Martinez for the award. The mayor gave Martinez a copy of the letter, a WAM belt buckle, and a plaque. Martinez said he appreciated his time in the city government.
After the customary pictures were taken, Mayor Weickum moved on to the next award. The mayor asked Interim City Manager Tom Sarvey to present WAM’s Community Hero Award to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Sarvey listed some of the reasons why the parks and rec department deserved the award.
Sarvey said the parks and rec department created the Urban Orchard with the University of Wyoming. Using a grant from the Wyoming State Forestry Division, more than 50 fruit trees were planted in three park sites in the city. The interim city manager also said the parks and rec department is demonstrating alternative lawn vegetation more suitable for the local climate.
Sarvey said the parks and rec department is working with the University of Wyoming to evaluate the viability of local maple syrup production.
Sarvey presented Parks and Recreation Department Director Jason Sehon and Parks Superintendent Tyrell Perry with their nomination letter. Sehon said his staff deserved the award.
Mayor Weickum said Councilwoman Lewman received a convention scholarship and City Clerk Shearer received a leadership scholarship from WAM.
