Shelby city manager honored in surprise celebration
For more than a decade, the Shelby city manager has been a steady and knowledgeable presence guiding the city through all stages of growth and change.
On Thursday, Rick Howell was surprised with a celebration held in his honor in uptown Shelby where a crowd of friends, family and coworkers gathered outside the Dragonfly Wine Market.
Chief of police Jeff Ledford was in attendance as well as city staff, council, a few members from the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce, Howell’s two sons and even some college friends.
Councilman David White, mastermind behind the celebration, said he wanted to publicly recognize Howell for everything he’s done for the city of Shelby.
He said Howell deserves the recognition now, and not just when he's retiring or leaving the city.
“It’s amazing the people that have come together,” White said.
The crowd of around 45 people clapped when Howell approached, a look of surprise on his face.
White told Howell they wanted to express their gratitude for Howell’s 12 years of service as city manager.
“We appreciate you,” White said. “You are the one who brought everything to the council to approve. Everything we have accomplished is because you have brought it before council. You are the driving force behind the city of Shelby.”
He described Howell as the man behind the scenes and someone would never takes credit for anything.Charles Webber, councilman, said Shelby was recently named the number one top micropolitan by Site Selection Magazine because of the work Howell has done.
“I want to personally and publicly thank Rick,” Webber said.
Andrew Hopper, another councilman, said he was serving on the board when Howell was hired.
“That was the smartest and best decision we ever made for the city,” he said.
Hopper described Howell as a man with knowledge, skills and integrity.
Councilmembers said they appreciated how he always presented the straight facts to them and didn’t sugarcoat anything.
Following the remarks, Mayor Stan Anthony and Howell together unveiled a plaque on the wall located between Dragonfly and RollOver Pets.
“We the city council of Shelby, NC would like to thank our City Manager Rick Howell for his honesty, integrity and high moral values he has displayed while serving the city of Shelby as city manager,” the plaque reads. “Without his leadership and direction our city would not look as it does today. His accomplishments will be seen in Shelby and Cleveland County for years.”
The names of the mayor and current council were included on the plaque.
“The work you do makes our job easy,” Anthony said. “Everything today is because of you.”
Howell, emotional by the gathering of friends and family in his honor and the outpouring of support and compliments, wiped away a few tears.
“This is humbling,” he said. “I’m very appreciative of the kind words. I haven’t ever worked with a better group of people.”
He expressed gratitude for the council and staff.
“It’s been my privilege to work with them,” he said.
Howell said he’s lived a blessed life and been influenced by people who helped build him into the person he is today.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: City manager honored in surprise celebration
