Officer Tom Daubs named as 2022 Paul Draper Spirit of Marion Award winner
MARION, Iowa — In a press release Thursday, the City of Marion announced Officer Tom Daubs as its 2022 recipient of the Paul Draper “Spirit of Marion” Award.
Daubs, a 26-year veteran of the Marion Police Department, is currently assigned as a School Resource Officer for the Linn-Mar Community School District, in addition to being the police department's public information officer.
The award was presented jointly by Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssal and City manager Ryan Waller to the City of Marion employee who best represents dedication to public service.
It was presented to Daubs during a luncheon honoring Public Service Recognition Week.
This week provides us with the opportunity to honor and recognize our dedicated City team and the role they play in providing our residents with an unequalled quality of life,” said Mayor Nick AbouAssaly. “It is especially exciting to honor an individual who shares a love for Marion and community spirit reminiscent of our departed friend and colleague Paul Draper.
Daubs is often heard saying he has the best job in the world.
“Tom Daubs is a local celebrity in Marion,” said City Manager Ryan Waller. “He is a dedicated public servant, a relationship builder and one of Marion’s biggest cheerleaders. Tom lives out our Reach Higher! philosophy daily and we are so blessed to have him on our team.”
Daubs can be found volunteering his time at after-school events simply because wants to help.
He can be found on his bike, leading the pack of 5k or half marathon runners.
And he can be found shaping young lives through his animated classroom visits and engaging DARE curriculum.
“The positive impact that Tom has had on students is best exemplified when he walks down a hallway or is out in public,” said Police Chief Mike Kitsmiller. “Wherever he goes, kids and adults alike, greet Officer Tom or approach him for a hug or handshake. He deserves a great amount of credit for creating such a positive relationship between Marion’s youth and the Police Department.”
The city said in a press release Thursday evening, the “Spirit of Marion” shines through in Tom Daubs.
The award is named for former City Council member Paul Draper.
Draper was a great supporter of Marion’s progress and a tireless advocate for the community for decades.
He served on the Civil Service Commission for 25 years and had a hand in the hiring of generations of police officers and firefighters, in addition to countless other city employees.
He served on the Marion City Council from 2012 to 2020, and was on the Marion Chamber of Commerce and Marion Economic Development Corporation's board of directors at different points throughout his career.
Draper passed away in Feb. 2020 and his legacy lives on, in part, through this award.
