Mayor Eduardo Martinez
City of Richmond
December 16, 2025
Proclamation Honoring the Retirement of Robert Chelemedos & Recognizing 126 years of Chelemedos family service to the City of Richmond
WHEREAS, the City of Richmond proudly recognizes Robert Chelemedos on the occasion of his retirement on December 31, 2025, culminating a distinguished 35 years, 8 months, and 8 days of dedicated public service; and
WHEREAS, Robert Chelemedos began his City career on April 23, 1990, and throughout his tenure served in numerous essential classifications, including Maintenance Worker I, Maintenance Worker II, Collections Systems Maintenance Worker, Equipment Operator, Collections Systems Lead Worker, Maintenance Lead Worker, Construction & Maintenance Supervisor, and ultimately Streets Maintenance Superintendent; and
WHEREAS, the Chelemedos family has a remarkable and unmatched history of service to the City of Richmond, maintaining continuous family employment from 1943 through 2025, for an uninterrupted 82 years of service spanning multiple generations and contributing to the City’s operational strength, reliability, and commitment to public service; and
WHEREAS, Robert Chelemedos is the third-generation member of a family whose dedication to Richmond public service is both exemplary and historic, and whose cumulative service totals 126 years; and
WHEREAS, the Chelemedos family legacy includes:
• George Chelemedos – Grandfather. Served from May 16, 1943, to May 26, 1968, contributing 25 years and 10 days of service to the Richmond Fire Department, retiring as a City of Richmond Fire Engineer;
• Nick Chelemedos – Great Uncle. Served from December 1949 to January 1987, contributing 37 years and 1 month in multiple key classifications including Laborer, Truck Driver, Equipment Operator, Street Supervisor, Construction & Maintenance Foreman, and Construction & Maintenance Supervisor;
• Robert G. Chelemedos – Father. Served from December 1975 to May 2004, contributing 28 years and 6 months as Maintenance Worker I, Maintenance Worker II, Equipment Operator, and Maintenance Lead Worker;
• Robert Chelemedos – Self. Serving from April 23, 1990, to December 31, 2025, contributing 35 years, 8 months, 8 days across numerous essential classifications and culminating in service as Streets Maintenance Superintendent; and
WHEREAS, the combined commitment of these four members of the Chelemedos family represents an extraordinary 126 years of continuous public service to the City of Richmond, a legacy unparalleled in duration, dedication, and multigenerational civic contribution; and
WHEREAS, Robert Chelemedos has trained the next generation of successful Public Works maintenance leaders and departs the City in excellent hands.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Mayor Eduardo Martinez, together with the Richmond City Council, do hereby honor Robert Chelemedos on the occasion of his retirement, express our profound appreciation for his decades of local and exceptional service, and formally recognize the Chelemedos family’s 82 years of continuous service and combined 126 year legacy of commitment to the City of Richmond.