City honors 12 key contributors

A city cannot thrive without individuals and organizations who are dedicated and passionate about making it a successful one.

Mayor Jeff Scrima highlighted 12 of them at the year-end Common Council meeting on Tuesday by presenting them with keys to the city as a symbol of his appreciation for all that they have done for the city.

Fire Chief Allen LaConte - LaConte, who will retire in March 2012, has been with the Waukesha Fire Department for the last 34 years. He joined the department in 1977 and held many roles before becoming chief 10 years ago.

Waukesha Public Library Director Jane Ameel - Ameel will also step down from her position in 2012 after helping the library become the 2011 Wisconsin Library of the Year. She has been with the library for 27 years.

Philanthropists Andrea & Tony Bryant - The Bryants have been key to the city's growth, as they have invested in the Fox River Development, La Casa de Esperanza, the Waukesha Family YMCA, Waukesha Memorial Hospital and from 2006-10 they donated $500,000, $100,000 each year to The Wisconsin Philharmonic, formerly known as the Waukesha Symphony Orchestra, so it could pay off its debt, cover some operational expenses and set aside $100,000 as a safety net for future years.

ProHealth Care CEO Susan Edwards & ProHealth Care - Edwards replaced longtime ProHealth Care CEO Ford Titus in September 2010 after serving as the president of Banner Health System's Arizona region in Phoenix for seven years. ProHealth Care, which was founded in 1914, is Waukesha County's largest employer and is the largest health care facility provider between Milwaukee and Madison.

Carroll University Doug Hastad and Carroll University - Hastad has led Wisconsin's oldest institution of higher education since 2006. Before coming to Carroll, Hastad was the chancellor at UW-La Crosse for five years. Under his watch this year, Carroll received a Hunger's Hope award from Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin for a spring food drive that collected more than 25,000 meals for the organization during its second annual National Day of Service. A fraternity at Carroll also gave a helping hand in raising more than $2,000 for The Women's Center of Waukesha in October.

Waukesha State Bank President Ty Taylor and Waukesha State Bank - Waukesha State Bank has a rich history in Waukesha dating back to just after World War II when it was started by Carl Taylor. The bank has grown to where there is five in the city. Taylor's grandson, Ty, a lifelong resident of Waukesha, has since taken over as president and more offices have opened throughout the county since his tenure began in 2004.

Artist Jeff Seymour - He isn't a lifelong resident, but Seymour is responsible for the ever-growing Waukesha Art Crawls that take place throughout the year and for making downtown an art hub.

Almont Gallery Owner Lynn Gaffey - In addition to owning her own business, Gaffey, a lifelong resident of Waukesha, is the vice president of the Business Improvement District's board of directors. She's also one of the main advocates for the downtown art scene and the popular Friday Night Live summer weekly concerts.

Business Improvement Board President Norm Bruce - Besides serving on the BID, Bruce has been the owner of Martha Merrell's Books & Cafe since 1994. He takes part in other causes as his store had a drop-off barrel for the Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County and also started Waukesha's Books for Soldiers Campaign where they have collected more than 2,000 books which will go to soldiers with the Hartford National Guard in February.

Hebron House Executive Director Bernie Juno - Juno has run the Hebron House homeless shelters in Waukesha since 1982 and fought for two of her shelters to receive more funding this year after they were forced to close down.

La Casa de Esperanza President and CEO Anselmo Villarreal and La Casa - La Casa is a community-based organization that has served Waukesha's low-income and Latino population since 1966. Under Villarreal's leadership, La Casa has expanded its programs and has led two successful capital campaigns for a new community center and building renovations totaling $4.8 million. Most recently, Time Warner Cable and the League of United Latin American Citizens partnered to form the Empower Hispanic America Technology Center at La Casa to help advance broadband access and literacy among the Hispanic community.

The Taylor and People's Park Family - Dan, Jim, Bob, Susie and Jill, owners of People's Park in downtown Waukesha, were forced to shut down the popular restaurant after a fire damaged part of it in February. After 10 months of remodeling, People's Park reopened on Monday. Jim and Susie Taylor also own Oscar's Frozen Custard. The family is also instrumental in the art scene as Richard Taylor, a nationally recognized sculptor/artist, created and installed the Waukesha Transit Center sculpture, "Life's Ribbon." Their father, Bill, has been active in the downtown Waukesha scene for the more than 10 years and designed and painted a 158-foot long mural just off Main Street.