By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

My many years working as a daily print journalist put me in touch with a boatload of public service officials, many of whom I learned to respect and some of them actually earned my affection.

I have been thinking of them over the past few days as we Texas residents have grappled with the ravages of Mother Nature’s wrath.

City managers, fire and police chiefs, utility officials, EMTs, paramedics, mayors and city council members all have been facing immense pressure to answer their constituents’ questions and tend to their needs. Yes, we pay their salaries and they are responsible to us first and foremost. Most of the public service officials I have known over many years have done their level best to fulfill their public responsibilities.

I knew a fire chief in Beaumont, Texas — his name is Pete Shelton — who jumped into a culvert to rassle a gator out of someone’s yard; I cannot recall the size of the beast Chief Shelton pulled out, but I think it was, um, sizable. That, I submit, is going above and beyond the call of duty.

We don’t have alligators lurking in people’s yards in Collin County, but we have plenty of officials here who do their jobs with dedication.

This winter storm has provided plenty of sleepless nights not only for those of us who have suffered through extended periods of time without heat or water. The nature-induced insomnia also has affected those upon whom we depend to solve those problems. Make no mistake that those ranks also include the utility employees who answer calls to restore water flow or work on power lines.

I just feel the need to salute them all. They have earned their salary.