DPW Newsletter Winter

1. BUZZBUZZBUZZTHE BUZZ
FEATURED STORY
DPW GIVING
SAVE A LIFE
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
NEWS FOR DPW EMPLOYEES - WINTER/SPRING 2020
@dcdpw @dcdpw @dcdpw
COMINGS & GOINGS
PEMA TAKES AIM AT
BIKE LANE SAFETY
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GET TO KNOW
KUDOS CORNER
FROM THE DIRECTOR
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DPW’s Longest
Serving Sanitation
Technician Title Up
For Grabs
Maurice Queen retires after
50+ years of service....

2. DPW GIVING
SAVE A LIFE
DPW SAYS GOODBYE TO ITS LONGEST
SERVING SANITATION TECHNICIAN
DPW employees contributed $51,793.98 in 2019 One Fund
donations—exceeding our goal of $42,901.80 and marking
the highest level of participation in the past four years.
Employees didn’t stop there. We also donated 500 toys, 10 bikes, gift cards and electronic
gifts to foster children as part of DPW’s annual toy drive with DC Child and Family Services.
Kudos and thanks go to Tamika Cain, Special Assistant to the Director, who spearheads
the campaign. Kudos also go to the OneFund committee, volunteers and all who donated
holiday gifts to help children in need. The DC One Fund program is the District Government’s
workplace giving program created to give DC government employees an opportunity to
participate in charitable giving in their community.
Defibrillators have been installed in most DPW buildings. These devices can
restore a normal heartbeat by sending an electric pulse or shock to the heart and
can also restore the heartbeat if it suddenly stops. Employees should familiarize
themselves with the location of their building’s defibrillator, which is easy to use
with an automated video screen. You can also take an online tutorial by visiting
https://www.zoll.com/medical-products/automated-external-defibrillators/aed-
plus/step-by-step-demo/
The title of the longest-serving trash collector in DPW will be up for grabs soon when Maurice
Queen retires late February. He’s been “throwing trash” for almost 51 years, since 1969, and
that’s long enough he said. Instead of his DPW family, he’ll be spending more time with his own
family and pursuing his lifelong vocation as a “cowboy of color” right here in the DMV.
Born and raised in the District, Queen, 72, lives with his wife of 49 years, Antoinette, on a 10-acre
horse farm in Waldorf, Md. The couple has two grown children.
When Queen was a young man, there were farms all over Maryland. He got jobs washing horses
and found he enjoyed riding them. “Pretty soon I wanted something a little more potent,” Queen
said. He began moonlighting as a rodeo cowboy and rode bulls on a professional circuit for
seven years. He won his first rodeo in New Mexico at age 27, winning $3,500 for 8 seconds—
being able to remain on the bull longer than the other riders.
Today, Queen has 10 horses at his farm and teaches area children about the care of horses and
how to ride them. He also does presentations about cowboys of color at Saint Francis Xavier
Catholic Church, SE.
“The first cowboys were slaves,” Queen said. When their overseers called out “Boy, go get them
cows!,” the occupation ofcowboy began. In fact, for the first 25 years of the Kentucky Derby
(1875-1900), the jockeys, trainers and groomers were mostly African American.“When the boys
won races and started making more money than the overseers, that’s when it all stopped.”
Maurice Queen
Evy Mages Washingtonian

3. PEMA TAKES AIM AT
BIKE LANE SAFETY
More than two dozen new Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs) hit the
District streets last month to crack down on bike lane violations as part
of Mayor Bowser’s Vision Zero initiative to improve pedestrian and bicycle
transportation safety.
With the added manpower, PEMA officers will be able to support every
bicycle lane in the District, said PEMA Administrator Johnny Gaither. They
are authorized to photograph vehicles blocking the bike lanes and mail a
citation along with the photo to the vehicle owner. This is especially critical
given that many vehicles drive off as soon as they see parking enforcement.
Blocking a bike lane even for a few minutes can create a safety hazard
leading to serious injury or death. With 25 cyclists killed in DC last year, the
hope is that the added enforcement will help to change motorists’ behavior.
COMINGS & GOINGS
Terrence C. Goines, Chief Information Officer (CIO), Information Technology
Terrence joins DPW as the Chief Information Officer after 18 years working in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer. A
graduate of University of Maryland University College and an alumnus of Morgan State University. He moved through the
ranks at OCTO guided by his passion for “finding simple solutions to big challenges.”
Raymond J. Haynesworth, Deputy Administrator, Parking Enforcement Management Administration (PEMA)
Raymond began his career at DPW in 1978 as one of the original Parking Enforcement Officers. He was recently promoted to
Deputy Administrator, PEMA. A DC Water retiree, Raymond also studied music at the University of the District of Columbia
and continues to perform at various venues around the DMV with his R&B cover band, Time to Eternity.
Brian Lawrence, Fleet Administrator, Fleet Management Administration
Brian was recently appointed Fleet Administrator. He started his career in municipal government in 1984 for the City of
Indianapolis at a job in the parts room of that city’s Fleet Services. He also worked there as a lube tech and heavy line tech
before moving into management. Brian is an avid reader, enjoys softball, coaching and mentoring youth.
Felicia Farrar McLemore, APR, Director of Communications
Felicia was recently named Director of Communications. Before joining DPW, she was part of the global communications
leadership team at Marriott International. A travel and spa lover, she earned a B.S. in public relations from James Madison
University and an M.S. in communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Reggie Sanders, Public Information Officer (PIO) Office of Communications
Reggie was recently named PIO. He has more than 15 years of experience in broadcast journalism and has worked as an
editor and producer for ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX News affiliates in Washington, D.C., and Miami, Fla. A native Washingtonian
and avid cyclist, Reggie also previously worked with DDOT and DYRS.
Marlon Wright, Deputy Administrator, Solid Waste Management Administration (SWMA)
Marlon joins DPW as Deputy Administrator, SWMA. He was previously the Solid Waste Administrator for the City of
Indianapolis. Marlon has over 18 years of experience in public works. He studied at Lincoln Tech in Maryland and Indiana
University - Purdue University Indianapolis and then went on to serve nine years in the U.S. Army, the last two years as a
Platoon Sergeant.

4. GET TO KNOW:
ERIC BLALOCK
DPW KUDOS CORNER
One would think a DPW heavy plow truck would not get stuck
in the snow. But it happens. Even to a driver with more than 25
years of experience. Eric Blalock drove heavy trucks for the state
of Maryland and Prince George’s County, Md., before joining
DPW 13 years ago. He described a harrowing experience he
had one winter in Ward 8:
“I was on a narrow street with
cars parked on both sides,”
Blalock said. “At the bottom
of a hill I tried to go left, but it
was a really tight squeeze and I
had to stop.... Once you stop in
snow, it’s hard to get traction. I
had to get towed.”
Eric has an excellent driving record and says he hasn’t been in
any vehicle collisions with the heavy plow truck-- not even any
close calls.
“I’m experienced enough to know if a car might cut me off.”
When Residents See Something,
They Say Something!
District residents, government officials and supervisors emailed
and tweeted tons of notes of appreciation for DPW employees
providing service in all areas, with the highest volume dedicated
to our leaf collections crews. Kudos to all of you who go above
and beyond every day. When residents see outstanding work,
they say something about it!
“I was asked to pass on appreciation for the work that the crew
put in (Jan. 16) in connection with the NOMA clean-up. The
crew members were extremely professional despite the number
of press and advocates present and in the way of the operation.
I also truly appreciate the work that the crew did.
Keep up the good work.”
Anthony Crispino, Chief Administrative Officer, DPW
“I wish to commend your leaf collection team who worked
on our block (between Davenport and Ellicott Streets) for
their thorough and efficient work. They moved in a fast, well-
coordinated manner – whether working with brooms, rakes,
leaf blowers or on the huge leaf vacuum aggregate – and did
not leave a single leaf unturned.”
Aldo Benini, Ph.D., Ward 3 Resident
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The close of 2019 completed my first year as DPW Director. It has been an intense year
filled with challenges and some of the most memorable moments in my career. I have a
much deeper understanding of the complexity and expanse of this agency’s work.
While I have worked with DPW as a former HSEMA director, 2019 was the year I made a
personal connection with you, the men and women who get the job done no matter the
weather. Riding with our collections crews, walking enforcement beats, and watching
our mechanics at work has not only given me a greater sense of appreciation for the
work we’ve accomplished; it has helped to inform how we will move forward. Events like
the Technical Equipment Roadeo, National Public Works Week and Citywide Truck Touch
gave me an opportunity to experience the diversity of talent here within our workforce.
And agency volunteer work and our commitment to DPW’s One Fund campaign has
allowed me to experience the heart of DPW employees.
I’m not the only one who sees the hard work you do--our Twitter feed and email box are
filled with comments from satisfied residents. Let’s continue that effort in 2020. I look
forward to seeing you soon and remember,
“If You See Something, Do Something!”
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Questions? Concerns? Send your emails to: ask.dpwdirector@dc.gov
OWD & SWEEP Team Darlett Salley, Director Geldart,
Annie White, Howard Lee, and Bill Easley, pose with Ward
4 resident (rear) during their fall “Oops tag” Campaign
MUST SEE TV: DPW TV JUST GOT BETTER!
DPW TV captures employee news, kudos, photos and timely messages and transmits them onto 22 monitors
located throughout 10 agency locations. Up until recently, employees could only see this information via
the stationary monitors but now you can take it with you wherever you go! To access DPW TV from your
computer or Smartphone, visit the DPW Intranet at dpw.in.dc.gov and select DPW News.