Village Officials Honored For Supporting National Guard Employee

ALGONQUIN, IL —Three members of the village of Algonquin’s public works department were recently awarded the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

ESGR is a Department of Defense program that was established in 1972 to promote cooperation between Reserve Service members and their civilian employers. Robert Mitchard, director of public works; Jason Schutz, utilities superintendent; and Tony Jonas, utilities supervisor; were presented with the Patriot Award at an Algonquin Village Board meeting on Feb. 15, according to a news release.

The award is in recognition of their support for Mike Harris who works in the utilities division and serves as an active member of the National Guard. Mike nominated his supervisors to thank them for providing the time off and flexibility that allowed him to fulfill his military service duties.

“We sincerely appreciate Mike’s service to our country” said village president Debby Sosine. “We are proud to be recognized as an employer that supports our veterans and the value that veterans bring to our organization and community.”

About 10 percent of the village of Algonquin’s workforce are veterans of the United States Armed Forces, according to the news release.

Mike joined the Public Works Department in 2000, but left for active duty in 2001 to serve his country after September 11th. The Village welcomed him back to Public Works in 2006 after he completed active duty. Mike will retire from the National Guard later this year after more than 15 years of service.

“It is an honor to have someone committed to protecting our country as part of our team” stated Public Works Director Robert Mitchard. We appreciate all of Mike’s hard work and are honored that he nominated us for this award.”