Barb Lusco is the harbor master at the Sammie. L Maletta Public Marina in Portage. Lusco has worked for the city since 2013. She is responsible for the day to day operations at the marina, which include assigning boat slips; ensuring safe operations at the marina, basin, parking areas, grounds and mooring spaces; assigning and following through with repairs where needed; collecting fees; maintaining accurate city and state financial records; researching grant opportunities; hiring seasonal workers; training new employees; maintaining our Indiana Clean Marina Status; dealing with customers and visitors questions; and providing a positive experience for anyone visiting the marina.
Lusco wanted to work for the city after being an avid member of Portage’s marina society and being a long-time Portage resident.
“I've been a Portage resident since 1982 and have been an active boat owner, yacht club member, and Port Authority Board member. When the opportunity came up for the position of harbor master at our local marina, I was humbled to be offered the job,” said Lusco.
Her favorite part of the job is working with the city’s youth and creating a positive work environment for all those who are hired in her department.
“It's a great first job, and we have many returning employees year after year,” said Lusco.
She also enjoys the community aspect of the job.
“I'm a people person. It's a joy to meet someone traveling either by boat or car, any visitors that walk in or call. I take pride in my community and promote the City of Portage, our lakefront, and Porter County in a positive manner. We have a lot to offer to residents and visitors alike!” said Lusco.
Looking back on her time so far as a city hall representative, Lusco has many great memories.
“There are many memories. I would have to say being part of a wonderful group of people has been a pleasure. It has been an absolute joy to work with other department heads, our mayor, staff, the city council, Port Authority, and every person that I've met along the way. Another favorite would have to be seeing all my hard work come through on grants that I've applied for and received. And finally; I've made many lasting friendships on this journey,” said Lusco.
Deb Podgorski is Portage’s Councilperson At Large under Mayor Lynch and is in her third year of her first term. As part of the council, Podgorski and the rest of the council create policies and ordinances, are responsible for the city’s financial plans, and serve on various committees. Podgorski is on the ordinance committee, which looks at, develops, and adjusts ordinances before they're sent to the full council. She also chairs the traffic commission, which deals with traffic patterns and anything to do with stoplights, street signs, stop signs, and more. Lastly, she is the budget chairperson, but often Podgorski volunteers for whichever committee needs assistance.
She was inspired to work for the city because of her family, and she carries on the legacy of her late husband by working for Portage.
“My husband was a 29-year veteran of the police department. So he worked for the city for a long time before he passed, but this is my first go around of jumping in there head first. I wanted to work for the city because my husband had done it for so long. My husband passed while still considered active duty, and I figured you know what? He served the city for 29 years. It was time for me to kind of throw my hat in the ring and see what I could do to help,” said Podgorski.
Podgorski loves her job because it isn’t ever boring, and it is important to her that she continues to learn every day on the job.
“I'm a firm believer that you don't stop learning no matter how old you are. I keep learning different things about governments as a whole. I love dealing with the public. I've met some really awesome residents that I may or may not have had the chance to do if I had not chosen to do this. So there's nothing boring about public service,” said Podgorski.
In an effort to continue to give back to the city she loves, Podgorski and her son have opened a scholarship for Portage High School seniors that is open for applications until March 10. More information can be found here under the Portage High School Local Scholarships List.
Podgorski and her family live out the true definition of being a community member here in Portage.
Ashley Dietz is a driver for the city street department. In her position, she has many responsibilities, such as driving a snow plow, driving a grapple truck to pick up limbs and bulk items, patching potholes, mowing city properties, weed spraying, mosquito spraying, occasionally driving a garbage truck, and any odds and ends job that arises. She has worked full time with the city of Portage for 15 years. Before becoming a full-time employee, she worked for the city for two summers through high school. She states one of her favorite parts of the job is working outdoors.
“I love being outside in the sun. And oddly enough, I love the work and I love the environment,” said Dietz.
Not only does she love working outdoors, but she loves working with her team members. She has many memories over the past 15 years to show what a strong community Portage has among every department.
“My favorite thing about my job has to be my coworkers. They have become my family in a way. Like a bunch of brothers. We talk trash to each other and we laugh and cut up,” said Dietz. “If I could narrow it down to one favorite memory, it’s the years I spent on the back of the garbage truck really getting to know my coworkers is probably my favorite time here. I love learning about my coworkers' lives and understanding them.”
As part of the backbone of the city, Dietz sees progress coming for Portage.
“I've worked here a long time, and I'm very optimistic to see the city reinvest in our departments. Street and sanitation is the heart of the city. We keep everything clean and moving,” said Dietz.
Community, teamwork, and progress are words continually echoed by all of the women in city hall, and the city of Portage has a lot to look forward to in the years to come.
Dyan Leto is the superintendent for the Portage Department of Parks and Recreation. Having stepped into this role in July of 2022, Leto is one of the newer members on the City of Portage team. Working with the parks department, however, is like second nature to Leto, as she previously worked for the Lake County Parks Department.
It was actually Lake County’s ‘park-nership’ (the department’s term for partnerships with other parks) with Portage that brought Leto to her new position. Her boss at the time asked her to attend a meeting between the two entities, and it was there that she was notified of the open position in Portage. While fond of her job on the other side of the county line, Leto has been a Portage resident for 13 years and knew she couldn’t pass up working for a city she’s grown to love for over a decade.
“I really love being a Portage resident, so it just made sense. I love parks and I love Portage, so it all came together,” Leto said.
As the superintendent, Leto is always at the center of the action when it comes to planning park events and activities. No day is ever the same as the one before it, keeping her on her toes when coordinating between the 15 parks throughout the city.
“Sometimes, I might have to get up at 7 a.m. to open a park or if we have something going on early in the morning. Or like tonight, we have our Haunted Hayride that goes until 9:30, so tonight will be a late night,” Leto said. “I can tell you that there's rarely a typical day within our parks department.”
Portage also has a variety of trails within the city, such as the Prairie Duneland Trail and the Iron Horse Heritage Trail.
“Some of our parks, like Woodland Park, also have trails, but we have multiple trails in addition to the parks,” Leto said. “We also have seven shelters. We have five rental facilities that you can rent out for parties, and we do community events. We also help share responsibilities with the national parks; they manage the Dunes National Park in Portage and Portage Lakefront Protection.”
Experiencing Portage’s beautiful landscapes is what Leto enjoys most about her work. She likes that it puts her out in the community, where she can meet and touch base with other Portage residents face-to-face.
“My favorite part is just being out in the park,” she said. “I always appreciate every opportunity that I get to be in the park, walk around, see the trees, or interact with any of the residents that are going through the parks.”
Working for the Portage Parks Department has also given Leto an inside look as to how much care and hard work goes into the city as a whole.
“As a resident, I did not realize how many hardworking and dedicated people work for the City of Portage. It has been really nice to see from this side,” she said. “I started the Fourth of July weekend, so the very first interaction I had was with the whole community, all the employees, and things like that. I was watching them all come together to put on a really great event for the city. There's just a lot of people behind the scenes led by a really great mayor (Sue Lynch) that loves her city. It's all those employees that work for the City of Portage that really do a lot of hard work. That's been really nice to see from this side of it, that there's caring, hardworking people here in the city.”
For more information on the many different women that empower the City of Portage, such as Leto, visit its website here.
