Selma city employees feel a little more appreciated by their department heads and the community they serve since the first ever Selma City Employee Day on Friday.

Held at the Carl C. Morgan community center, the event featured door prices, a meal prepared by the public works director and a general feeling of unity.

Public works employee Frankie Cartagena said, &uot;I think it was the best thing they ever did for us.&uot;

He wasn’t alone. City employees filled the center at one point to feast on the spread prepared by their bosses. It was obvious they appreciated the topsy-turvy approach for at least a day.

Linda Moss, a veteran crossing guard for the city, said, &uot;I think it’s great, just for them to recognize us for what we do. We don’t get enough recognition &045; and to be recognized, that’s the main thing.&uot;

Valeria Jones, a city department head, said the idea for the day originated in the personnel department, but took on a life of its own after that. &uot;There’s no one person who made this possible, it was a real group effort,&uot; Jones said.

Marcus Hopkins, director of public works, cooked all the food for the city employees. There was deviled eggs, baked chicken, barbecue chicken, baked beans, bread and potato salad for more than 100.

Said Hopkins, &uot;I wanted to show the employees we appreciate the service they give us.&uot;

As a 19-year veteran of the public works department in Selma, Hopkins knows exactly how hard all 62 of his employees work. Without the dedicated souls of the public works department, no Selmian would enjoy trash pickup on the schedule they’ve grown accustomed to.

Kay Jones, another member of the organizational committee, said, &uot;I wanted to do it. The whole purpose was to unite the employees and show our appreciation.&uot;

The group gave out T-shirts to all city employees. The shirts were designed and distributed by Darlene Rudolph and Judie Porter, both members of the personnel office.

Jones also noted that Henry Hicks, director of the personnel office, helped to make the day a big success.

The best thing: the day didn’t cost the city of Selma &045; or taxpayers &045; a dime. It was all made possible by voluntary contributions from the mayor, department heads and some members of the City Council.