From left, Rotary Club of Madison president-elect Gene Pfeiffer, employees of the year Chris Ramsey, Kelly Johnson and Lt. Wayne Kamus and Council president Tommy Overcash at the employee of the year reception May 11. (Record Photo/Nick Sellers)

By Nick Sellers | Staff Writer

MADISON – The Rotary Club of Madison continued on with its annual tradition of handing out employee of the year awards to three city of Madison workers at the Madison City Council meeting on May 11.

This year was the club’s 15^th year in handing out the honors, chairperson Debbie Overcash mentioned, but added that there was a first for 2015, as police employee Wayne Kamus, lieutenant for the Madison Police Department, is the first two-time winner of the award.

“It’s always an honor to be chosen by your peers,” Kamus said.

Kamus won the same award in 2009. He has been with the department since 2001 and is a lifelong resident of the Huntsville area.

Chris Ramsey was honored as firefighter of the year. Ramsey is in his seventh year with the Madison Fire Department and is a member of the Heavy Rescue Team, which services Madison and surrounding areas.

Ramsey, a certified paramedic, also serves on the MFD’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) development committee.

“It’s a big honor,” Ramsey said. “There have been a lot of great firemen before me, so it’s a really great honor.”

The city employee of the year award went to Kelly Johnson, program director for Madison Parks and Recreation. Some of Johnson’s many duties include coordinating facilities and fields for the youth sports programs and scheduling youth sports tournaments.

“I couldn’t do it alone,” Johnson said. “It’s the department as a whole that’s able to serve that many people. It’s a team effort.”

Johnson, who has been with the city of Madison for 18 years, is also responsible for the creation of the Summer Day Camp program, which started three years ago and provides structure for children during the summer months.

All three winners received plaques, monetary gifts, free tickets to the annual Parrots of the Caribbean celebration and a permanent spot on the wall at city hall.