The Town of West Hartford held a recognition ceremony for employees who have reached significant milestones, including two who have 35 years of service.

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford employees recognized Thursday for reaching significant milestones had a combined total of 900 years of employment, Executive Director of Human Resources Rick Ledwith said.

“We’re really recognizing their commitment that makes West Hartford what it is today,” Ledwith said.

The recognition program, spearheaded by Cathy Lombardi, assistant director of Human Resources, was formalized this year and included a continental breakfast, Town Manager Matt Hart said, noting the importance of the work the town’s employees have done to serve the community, particularly through the challenges posed by the pandemic.

“Think about the scope of the organization,” Hart said, which does everything from A to Z – Animal Control through Zoning. “We take care of people through all phases of their lives … throughout their entire journey.”

Hart expressed his thanks to not only those who were being recognized for their longevity, but to the entire workforce.

Direct managers or supervisors, or in some case department directors, specifically recognized those who had reached milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of employment with the town, and two who have 35 years of service.

Stephanie Ibitz , an administrative assistant in Plant & Facilities Services, is celebrating her 35th year of service. “She really runs capital projects,” said Director Bob Palmer.

“She started at the town in utero,” Helen Rubino-Turco, director of Leisure and Social Services, said of Marla Famiglietti, the office operations specialist in Leisure Services and the person who is the “heart of our department.”

“She is supremely committed to serving this town in the best way possible,” Rubino-Turco said, and is extremely patient in training new employees, many of whom are teenagers entering the workforce for the first time ever.

Some of the managers shared personal stories about the employees. Carol Waxman, interim Library Services director, said Pramod Pradhan, who has worked for the town for five years, has become known as the “mayor of Elmwood” and is known for not only helping recent immigrants access services, but also goes out in the middle of the night to check on flooding at the Faxon Library when there is heavy rain, and is responsible for “all things tech.”

AJ Pollicito was recognized for 10 years of service in Information Technology. “He’s multi-talented,” Chief Information Officer Jared Morin said of Pollicito, noting that he’s played in a band that used to perform at McLadden’s and does all of his own plumbing and HVAC work – with attention to detail since his father is a building official in Bloomfield.

John Petruck, who has 20 years of service in Public Works, is the town mason. He has rebuilt more catch basins in this town than anyone,” said Keith Larson, Streets Operations manager, who was also honored for 10 years with the town.

Director of Public Works John Phillips, celebrating his 25th year of service, was unable to attend the event, but Hart highlighted his contributions. “We can feel the impact of John’s work all throughout town.” He is available 24/7/365, Hart said, and is “a real problem solver. He doesn’t get hung up on bureaucracy.”

Phillips was instrumental in creating the outdoor dining corrals which have been a boon to the town’s restaurant for the past two summers, Hart said, and is “part of the bedrock of our organization.”

Hart also noted the contributions of Kristen Gorski, who has five years of service and is the town’s primary contact for the roughly 7,500 businesses located in West Hartford.

Ledwith, who supports both the town and West Hartford Public Schools, was also honored for his milestone anniversary of 20 years. “Rick is an essential member of the town’s executive team as well as the school executive team,” Hart said, with a vast amount of institutional knowledge and a calm and even-keeled disposition.

“You model, you embody the best of West Hartford,” Hart told Ledwith.

A recognition event was not held to celebrate milestones in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Lombardi noted that all have received certificates and their names also appeared on a large poster in the auditorium.

The full list of those recognized Thursday is found below.

Community Development

• 5 years – Brittany MacGilpin
• 20 years – Debra Dalke and Timothy Mikloiche

Financial Services

• 20 years – Kirsten Wotton
• 25 years – Eva Nascimento

Human Resources

• 20 years – Richard Ledwith

Information Technology

• 10 years – AJ Pollicito

Leisure & Social Services

• 5 years – Ean Gorlick
• 25 years – Joshua Johnson
• 35 years – Marla Famiglietti

Library Services

• 5 years – Pramod Pradhan and Rebecca Nugent
• 10 years – Kari Karp and Janet Valencis
• 15 years – Judy Krzyzek

Plant Facilities

• 35 years – Stephanie Ibitz

Public Works

• 5 years – Mark Richards, Eric Stancavage, and Faton Musiliu
• 10 years – Jordan Andrews and Keith Larson
• 15 years – Donald Anderson, Bradley Dehart, and Craig Neumann
• 20 years – John Petruck and Patti Standish
• 25 years – John Phillips

Town Manager’s Office

• 5 years – Kristen Gorski

Police Department

• 5 years – Nathan Findley, Kenneth Stebbins, Lauren Rieger, Erin Moskal, and Miguel Godoy
• 10 years – Peter Parlos
• 15 years – Eric Butkiewicz,, Dominic Creaco, Benjamin Delmonte, Peter Kinsella, James Mahoney, Daniel Moffo, William Norton, Scott Segar, and Peter Senick
• 20 years – Steven Ciarleglio, Kerry Cloukey, and Michael Coyne

Animal Control

• 20 years – Helen Lee

Public Safety Dispatcher Division

• 5 years – Judith Morrell
• 15 years – Michele Lyons

Fire Service

• 10 years – Kyle Chapin, Russell Duffy, and James Phillips
• 20 years – Keith Albert, Brian Antigiovanni, William Beebe, and Michael Boivin

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