Automotive Technician Named City of Little Rock Employee of the Year 

(Thursday, May 16, 2013) Robert Kelly, an Automotive Technician II for the City of Little Rock, was named the 2013 Mahlon A. Martin Employee of the Year for the City of Little Rock. The announcement was made by City Manager Bruce T. Moore at a luncheon as a part of the City’s annual Employee Appreciation Week.

Kelly was cited for his outstanding leadership and dedication to the City of Little Rock. He joined the City in September 2004.

City Manager Moore praised Kelly for his commitment to his profession.  Kelly plays a vital role in making sure all city vehicles are well-maintained from police cars and fire trucks to code enforcement cars and garbage trucks.  Moore noted that Kelly is constantly seeking training and certification in new areas of automotive service, as well as encouraging his co-workers to do so.  Moore also thanked Kelly for his leadership in community outreach efforts by the department.

The Mahlon A. Martin Award was established in 2004 to acknowledge City of Little Rock employees who exhibit a high quality of job performance and significantly contribute to the quality of life within the City. The recognition begins at the department level and culminates with the selection of one person from the departmental nominees to be chosen as the recipient of the Mahlon A. Martin Award. 

Mahlon A. Martin was the first African-American to serve as Little Rock City Manager, Director of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, and Manager of Methods and Standards Departments of Systematics, Inc. Martin also served as President of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation until his death in 1995. Although Martin’s rise up through the ranks to become Little Rock’s first African-American City Manager is highly significant, Employee of Year Award is named in his memory as a testament to the type of person that he was and the integrity he maintained throughout his career in government. 

The other two finalists were Barbara Osborne in the Community Programs Department and John Sutton in the Information Technology Department.

Previous recipients of the Mahlon A. Martin Award were Modena Jardina, Human Resources Department, in 2004; Linda Baer, Finance Department, in 2005; Clay Waters, Finance Department, in 2006; Bill Mann, City Attorney’s Office, in 2007; Steve Kendricks, City Manager’s Office, in 2008; Gay Spencer, Police Department, in 2009; Emma Williams, Information Technology Department and Laurie Baehr, City Manager’s Office, both in 2010; Kevin Page, Parks and Recreation, in 2011; and Travis Rumph, Public Works, in 2012.

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