Values in Motion Award Winners for 2012

Five Santee city employees were recently honored at the annual “Values in Motion” ceremony for excellence in  job performance and for living out the city’s mission, vision, and values. Below is a description of the accomplishments of these local public servants.

L to R: Hernandez, Valverde, Miller, Christensen, Keane

John Keane – Associate Civil Engineer, Development Services
In addition to his primary job overseeing private development projects,  Keane stepped up to manage  the city ‘s land development section while his supervisor was on maternity leave. Furthering his reputation as a team player, he also took on the initial phase of the Carlton Oaks Bridge Seismic Retrofit project.

Linda Christensen – Senior Buyer, Finance Department
Prior to preparing bid documents for the fire department’s structural firefighting gear, Christensen decided to use the national bidding and cooperative purchasing capabilities provided by the United States General Services Administration (GSA). Linda drafted hundreds of pages of bid materials that the GSA subsequently adopted as model specifications for similar transactions nationwide.

Kathy Valverde – Assistant to the City Manager

Valverde was recognized for her leadership of Sustainable Santee, the City’s program that has reduced energy costs by almost $200,000 annually through a series of energy upgrades. Kathy was instrumental in managing the funding for the replacement of 1,783 city street lights with energy efficient fixtures, and helped prompt the installation of power-generating solar panels on the roof of Sportsplex USA Santee.

Steve Miller – Associate Civil Engineer, Development Services
Miller was instrumental in helping the city obtain grant funding for traffic safety projects. In 2012, he prepared four cost estimates, which helped secure three grants totaling more than $1 million.

Jeff Hernandez – Fire Captain
Capt. Hernandez was recognized for implementing a new digital reporting system that allows fire crews to utilize iPads to perform inspections and eliminates the need for all paper forms. The data is now stored electronically and can be accessed from any fire department computer.