Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week Tomeka Jones-Waters, Richard W. Allsop, Linda B. Williams, Karen Ford-Woods, and Stacy Raleigh, who have devoted their careers to working as public servants.

WHEREAS, May is Public Service Month in the City of Philadelphia. The following public servants at the City and state level keep the City and Commonwealth functioning, and should be recognized for their dedicated service; and

WHEREAS, Tomeka Jones-Waters serves as an AFSCME, District Council 88 Vice President and District Council 88 Local President of 2587, Philadelphia Clerical. Tomeka also serves as a Yeadon Borough Council member, where she chairs the following Committees: Community Affairs, Public Safety, and Personnel; and

WHEREAS, Richard W. Allsop has been a Highway Foreman for five years with the Philadelphia Maintenance Department and a member of Local 2244, State Supervisors District 5 & 6 of AFSCME District Council 88. On the evening of February 12, 2023, while driving across the Girard Point Bridge, Richard noticed a motorist driving erratically on the shoulder. He immediately pulled his crew cab in front of the motorist’s vehicle to avoid a traffic collision. Due to Richard’s swift and heroic actions, the individual’s life was saved; and

WHEREAS, Linda B. Williams has been a Federal government employee with US Social Security Administration since 1974. Linda has held several positions during her 45 years with the Social Security Administration working finally as a Benefits Authorizer, calculating benefit checks for thousands of Social Security recipients over her career; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ford-Woods has worked at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in University City for 32 years where she serves veterans; and

WHEREAS, Stacy Raleigh is a Microbiologist at the US Department of Agriculture with over 20 years of service and experience in laboratories helping the food science industry. Stacy really enjoys working at the USDA especially because she contributes to keeping the US food supply safe; and

WHEREAS, Like all public servants, these individuals put in a considerable amount of work to improve the City of Philadelphia in each of their respective industries, devoting significant time to advancing the pursuit of well-being, security, safety, and community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby congratulate and honor the Champions of the Week Tomeka Jones-Waters, Richard W. Allsop, Linda B. Williams, Karen Ford-Woods, and Stacy Raleigh, who, for the common good of Philadelphians and all Americans, have devoted their careers to working as public servants.

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