Maureen Matthews, Feroz Mohammed
Aviation
Bush Intercontinental Airport, Sept. 22: Panic filled the air and caused people to overrun the taxi waiting area. Hurricane Rita was bearing toward Houston, and mass evacuations had led to congested roads.
Those who landed at the airport were scrambling to get a ride, wrote Mark Barrilleaux. Limousines never showed for their riders, and just a few taxis drove up to the taxi stand at the international arrivals area.
Too many people; too few rides.
Chaos could have reigned, Barrilleaux wrote. But it didn’t because Maureen Matthews and Feroz Mohammed calmly organized travelers into groups going to different areas and got people into the taxis that showed up. All this was done in a reasonable time “considering the circumstances.”
When Barrilleaux tried to tip them, Matthews and Mohammed refused.
“You should be proud to have people like them working for you,” Barrilleaux wrote. “I very rarely write letters of appreciation for people doing their jobs. But these people were doing more than their job, and they deserve recognition for it.”
Howard LaFleur
Municipal Courts Administration
R. Zamora was running late for court. When she arrived at what she thought was her assigned courtroom, it was empty, Zamora wrote. Howard LaFleur saw her and asked if she needed help.
She showed him the documents she’d brought, and he took her to another courtroom while he looked up her case, Zamora wrote. Then he told her to stay where she was and that she’d be called soon.
If she had missed her court date, she’d have been fined again, Zamora wrote.
“Being a single mother, I really could not afford to pay another fine,” she wrote. “I thank Mr. LaFleur for his dedication in providing excellent customer service.”
Mario Ariza, Curt Jones, Reginald Randolph
Convention & Entertainment
When the Houston Ballet needed more parking spaces for a performance of the Nutcracker at the Wortham Theater, ballet marketing and public relations director Andrew Edmonson thought they’d have to divert traffic to Tranquility Park, creating a longer walk for the audience.
But Mario Ariza and Curt Jones quickly opened extra spaces in the parking garage’s purple level near the Wortham. Curt Jones was also helpful and customer-service oriented, Edmonson wrote.
“Today is the most smoothly it’s gone all week,” he wrote.
Derek Shofner
Police
For three months, a man had been driving around the Kempwood North subdivision throwing little glass Gallo wine bottles out the window. The bottles broke on the sidewalks, grassy areas and streets throughout the neighborhood, including the middle school, wrote Dennis DeWillis.
Witnesses knew the man, but when DeWillis gave the information to police officers, nothing was done.
Then, DeWillis contacted Sgt. Derek Shofner.
“I could tell by your voice that the problem would be handled, and it was,” DeWillis wrote. Four days later, an officer stopped the man and “gave him a good talking to.”
“Hopefully, this will end the case of the broken bottles,” DeWillis wrote. “I know in the scheme of things this is not high on the list of problems, but if you had seen all of the jagged pieces of glass that I picked up, you would know how serious this situation has become.
“Thank you for your swift action. You are to be highly commended for your extreme interest and the results you created.
“We need a thousand more officers just like you.”
Patricia Fears
Public Works & Engineering
“Patricia Fears is not only professional and courteous, she is also sharp and efficient,” wrote Mimi Kwan, who called Fears about water bill issues. “Most of the time the reps are nice, but when Pat helps us, the job gets done faster.”
Willette Jennings
Finance & Administration
Susan Siburkis wanted to use the online option to pay her husband’s fine for driving without his seatbelt. But then she discovered she’d lost the citation, Siburkis wrote.
Without the ticket number, she couldn’t pay the ticket.
So Siburkis e-mailed her husband’s name and the fine amount to 311. In less than three hours, Willette Jennings e-mailed the ticket number and court date.
“I can’t believe how fast you replied,” Siburkis wrote. “I really appreciate it.”