Never Quit winner helps make Saratoga Springs, N.Y., look beautiful

When people visit Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and comment on how beautiful the city looks, that’s thanks in part to Rob Wheelock and his team. 

Wheelock is a working supervisor for the city’s beautification crew, part of the Public Works Department. His job is to make the city look beautiful, keep it clean, and make it “exciting and interesting” for visitors, he says. 

“Planting flowers gives a feeling of hope for tomorrow,” Wheelock likes to say. “It just makes everyone feel better. It’s clean, it’s crisp, and it should put you in a good mood.” 

For his service to his community, Wheelock, a member of the Civil Service Employees Association (AFSCME/CSEA Local 1000), is a winner of our union’s Never Quit Service Award. The award recognizes public service workers who go above and beyond the call of duty to make their communities better.

“My wife and I enjoy gardening together,” Wheelock says. “I take a lot of pride in what we do in our own yard and it carries over to when I go to work. In my mind, I want every flower bed to be manicured like it would be in my backyard.”