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To express our gratitude and deep appreciation to John Cianelli for his forty years of exceptional service to the people of Columbus and Central Ohio upon his retirement as Water Plant Operator for the Department of Utilities and President of CMAGE/CWA Local 4502.
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WHEREAS, At the age of 16 and still in high school, John's career with the City started in the summer of 1967 as a seasonal employee for Engineering and Construction, in the Department of Public Service, and;
WHEREAS, Upon graduating from St. Francis DeSales High School, he went on to Franklin University where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Industrial Management, and;
WHEREAS, While attending Franklin University, John also worked for the City of Columbus' Traffic Engineering section at the Long Street Parking garage, and;
WHEREAS, In 1971 he went to work full time at the Hap Cremean Water Plant as a Treatment Plant Attendant until 1976. While working at Hap Cremean he studied water supply and attained his certification as a Class I Water Supply license holder, and;
WHEREAS, In 1976 John left the City to work at J.C. Penney Catalog Center as a supervisor in the inventory control section. After three years, he left there and ventured into the automotive and heavy duty industry managing aftermarket sales and manufacturing until 1983, and;
WHEREAS, Since John had attained the Class I Water Operator's license, he was rehired with the City of Columbus in March of 1983 and went back to work at the Hap Cremean Water Plant as a Water Plant Operator I, and;
WHEREAS, In 1986 John transferred to the Water Distribution Control Center located at 910 Dublin Road. Here, he studied and obtained his Class II Water Supply license in 1988. With this license he was then promoted in 1998 to the working title of Assistant Control Center Manager in the Control Center, and; WHEREAS, As a member of the CMAGE/CWA Local 4502 bargaining unit, John ran for the position of Union President in 2004 and was elected for a one-year term, then to be re-elected in 2005 for a three-year term, and;
WHEREAS, Under John's tenure as President, he finalized the affiliation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA); finalized the previous contract's pay plan with success for employees to be placed in a higher pay grade than was originally negotiated; negotiated a new three-year contract with the City; upgraded job classifications; increased membership; and endorsed candidates for the first time in CMAGE history in the local political arena, just to name a few of his accomplishments, and;
WHEREAS, Adding all of John's time with the City, his decision to retire after 40 years was announced in May of 2008, now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby express our gratitude and deep appreciation to John Cianelli for his forty years of exceptional service to the people of Columbus and Central Ohio upon his retirement as Water Plant Operator for the Department of Utilities and President of CMAGE/CWA Local 4502.