Linn County District Court employees honored for service

Linn County court clerk Kerry Thomas would be the first one to say she doesn't do anything special, but others disagreed as she was nominated 'Employee of the Year.”

'I was surprised and humbled,” said Thomas, a clerk for 28 years.

Savannah George, court attendant, said when she started her job last year Thomas quickly became her mentor. Thomas was always willing to help and was a great example of teamwork. George relied on her and always could go to her for help, she said.

'Beyond being helpful, Kerry is kind,” George said in her nomination letter. 'I feel kindness is one of the most important components of working together that is often overlooked and undervalued.”

Judges and attorneys are usually the focus of the court system, but the people behind the scenes like Thomas, who make the operations go smoothly, get little recognition. About 15 years ago, the Sixth Judicial District changed all that with its annual employee awards. It's the only district in the state which honors their employees in this way. There are five main awards and all employees are recognized for their years of service with certificates, plaques and other small items.

'We realize in our district how important our employees are to the functioning of the judicial branch,” Judge Nancy Baumgartner, a member of the awards committee, said. 'We also realize that unlike employees in the private sector, there is little recognition for the valuable service they give every day, to say nothing of those who go above and beyond their job descriptions.”

Baumgartner said state employees don't earn high salaries with bonuses or gifts for outstanding employees, but the district can recognize their service each year. For the first two years, the cost of the awards like T-shirts, pens, clocks, pins and plaques were paid by the state but after budget cuts in 2001, the judges have paid for those because they wanted to continue to honor the employees.

Other top awards:

-Teamwork Award: All the Linn County court attendants - Courtney Arnold, Elizabeth Berggren, Julie Fette, Savannah George, Wendy Howard, Sharon Murray and Kate Teesdale.

-Distinguished Service Award: Vickie Troester, administrative secretary to Candice Bennett, 6th Judicial District chief Juvenile Court officer.

-Friend of the Court Award: Senior Judge Sylvia Lewis, judge of the Johnson County Family Drug Treatment Court.

-Public Service Award: Cassis Klein, Benton County court attendant/clerical staff.