On Wednesday, I was joined by Council President Young, Comptroller Pratt, and many other colleagues for the 7^th Annual Lidinsky Awards.  The Lidinsky Award recognizes city employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to serve the public.

The Richard Lidinsky, Sr. Award of Excellence in Public Service was established to recognize long-serving city employees who have worked to improve city services and make city government more efficient.  The award is named after Mr. Lidinsky, who was employed with Baltimore City for 43 years and served as Deputy Comptroller during the terms of eight Mayors.

The Lidinsky Award winners have committed their lives to service. At a time when politicians across the country are attacking public employees as the problem in our economy, the Lidinsky Award is important.  On one day each year, we take the time to celebrate the exemplary employees who have dedicated themselves to making their agency-and this city-a better place.

The winner of this year's Lidinsky Award is Deputy Commissioner Deborah Owens from the Baltimore City Police Department.  Deputy Commissioner Owens is the highest ranking female in the Department.  Since joining the Department in 1989, she has worked to not only make our streets safer, but to make the Department more modern and efficient.

Deputy Commissioner Owens was instrumental in reducing overtime and other spending - while not reducing the efficiency of our police force. She stands out because of her excellence at police work, and for her devotion to our community.  Since becoming Deputy Commissioner, she has helped reduce overtime spending by 43% over three years, saving the city $13.7 million.  She also helped increase recruitment and hiring of minority and women to the Department.

In addition to her professional achievements, Deputy Commissioner Owens gives her time to many charities. She helps raise money for the Special Olympics, and for the families of fallen officers.  She is also instrumental in the Police Department's Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program that connects officers with young people in Baltimore.

In addition to honoring Deputy Commissioner Owens, we also recognized two women with honorable mention awards, Laurie Feinberg from the Planning Department, and Mary Elizabeth Brandenburg from the Department of Human Resources.  Their contributions to their respective departments throughout their careers has been a tremendous benefit for the City.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at my website or by email at mayor@baltimorecity.gov. You can also follow the Mayor's Office and be a part of the conversation on Twitter.