HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Resolution 15281 (Public Service Award 2024) Resolution 15281
City of San Rafael
Richard P. O’Brien and Mary Ferrario O’Brien
Public Service Award for 2024
Presented to
Tom Harrison
WHEREAS, Tom Harrison was selected as the recipient of the Public Service Award due
to his consistent level of selflessness demonstrated in his volunteer work
spanning over a decade; and
WHEREAS, he single-handedly maintains the path between Bahia Vista Elementary
School and Spinnaker Point. He weeds, prunes, takes out dead plant
material, cleans up litter, and coordinates group activities when the City has
an interested volunteer group; and
WHEREAS, he also ventures out far beyond the neighborhood and does cleanups
throughout the Canal and all the way into downtown San Rafael. He does
weekly patrols throughout the downtown and removes graffiti, stickers,
and flyers from public facilities such as light poles, signs, trash cans, and
buildings. He is a map-maker and uses his skillset to map out trash cans
throughout San Rafael, to map tree locations, and to map illegal dumping
in the area. His efforts have prevented hundreds (potentially thousands) of
pounds of garbage from ending up in our waterways, making San Rafael
more beautiful and livable for all; and
WHEREAS, Tom is the ultimate team player, participating in the San Rafael Clean
campaign, contributing to the Downtown Business Improvement District,
helping organize Earth Day and Coastal Cleanup Day, and often joins other
groups and committees to offer a hand the most humble way. He brings so
much insight to the groups he participates in and he is never ‘too good’ for
any task, he is a great team player and offers his support however he can;
and
WHEREAS, Tom’s efforts to remove graffiti and stickers from trash cans, streetlights,
fire hydrants, parking meters and traffic control boxes have beautified the
downtown corridor, making it more attractive to shoppers and contributing
to the economic vitality of local businesses. Through these efforts, Tom
models civic duty and public service at its best – he sees a need, then takes
initiative to meet than need for the benefit of the entire community; and
WHEREAS, Tom is the ultimate self-directed doer, not a self-promoter, the ultimate
tireless and effective civic volunteer. He sets his own goals and always
achieves them, working several hours each day on San Rafael civic projects.
Tom’s efforts and accomplishments have bettered our community in many
ways, which has earned him the nomination and selection to be the
recipient of the City of San Rafael’s Public Service Award for 2024.
NOW, THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the San Rafael City Council expresses its
appreciation to Tom Harrison on behalf of his community and hereby awards him the Richard
O’Brien and the Mary Ferrario O’Brien Public Service Award for 2024 on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
Kate Colin, Mayor