Covington’s Civility Task Force presented its first Civility Award to Larry Manning at the Monday, Jan. 6 city council meeting.

Manning is an Information Systems Specialist II in the city of Covington’s Information Technology (IT) department. He has been providing computer support to the city since 2021, and he described his position as “a blessing.” 

The Civility Award recipient took great pride in receiving the first award of its kind.

“I try to make a point to treat every interaction as an opportunity to kind of build bridges,” Manning said. “So knowing that that has been felt throughout the city, it’s very humbling.”

The Civility Task Force is made up of 14 city of Covington employees. The force aims to actively engage and promote civility and a positive work environment among all city departments, employees and officials. 

The Task Force developed the award in order to recognize the city’s employees for their hard work and accomplishments. Employees can nominate their coworkers when they notice someone who goes above and beyond.

“Our mission is to cultivate a culture of civility and unity within the city of Covington in the workplace and in the community through teamwork, cooperation and mutual respect for one another,” said Crystal Stevens, an employee at Covington-Newton County 911 and member of the Civility Task Force.

Stevens said that Manning’s actions embodied the true spirit of civility that the city is promoting.

“Some of the words used to describe him were selfless, dedicated to his craft and lending a helping hand, even without being asked,” Stevens said. “The comment that stood out to me the most was that he went out of his way to make sure another department felt included and a part of the team within the city.”

Manning said that he hopes the Civility Award inspires people to do small acts of kindness, and that the award is not a recognition of just his individual actions but the shared action of the community.

“I was genuinely surprised and honored,” Manning said. “Definitely did not expect it, but it’s a reminder that small, consistent efforts really matter.”