Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Cedarburg's beloved garbage man takes his talents to a big stage

 

CEDARBURG, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Keeping a community clean as a sanitation worker qualifies you to be an everyday hero.

Michael Smith does that by driving a big green garbage truck in Cedarburg every day. He's kind, friendly and helpful, but there's so much more to it than that.  We set out to show you why he's so beloved in this hometown.

There's a certain rhythm to garbage collecting.

Lift, tip, lower, repeat.

"Just like that," said Michael Smith, pulling away from the curb.

It's a familiar song for Smith.

"My nickname is G-Man," he said with a big smile.

He's been driving these streets for WM in Ozaukee County for 27 years.

"The best thing about my job is the people," he said.

You'll find him leaning out the window to say hi.

"Hey Christina, if I did, you know I'm going to let you know," he called out to a client.

Friendly, helpful. His bosses notice.

"We have three, four people per block. They'll come out and they'll say something to him, just say hi. It's something you don't really see," said operations manager Andrew Henkel.

There's something else, though, you may not see.

"Not until a few months ago," Henkel said.

A hidden talent.

"And it's been quite the big hit around the office with him," he said with a laugh.

Michael Smith-- G-Man -- can sing.

"It's always been a passion, something that I've always loved to do," Smith said.

And this season, he got to do it at Fiserv Forum before a Bucks game, singing the national anthem.

"It was exciting," he said. When I went in there, I wasn't nervous or scared or anything. And so, they asked me to sing, and God just, his angels just flowed through me."

Henkel was excited for him.

"I've shown it to a lot of my friends. You know, kind of showing him off," he said of the videos of Smith's performance.

There's lots to be proud of.

Smith threw out the first pitch at a Milwaukee Brewers game last year. He was chosen for his years of dedication to the job.

"Whatever the situation might be, I try to always make sure that I'm there," Smith said.

There have been several news articles written about the time he saved a woman's life.

"As soon as I got there, I said to her, 'Dorothy, how are you?' And she said, 'Oh, Michael, I'm not doing well,'" he recalled of that day. "She said, 'No, just go and get my husband,' and I knew where she lived. If I wouldn't have been there that day, she would have been dead."

From the front seat of his truck, Smith is watching out.

"So, you've got to keep your eyes moving at all times," he said.

Moving to his own beat and making Cedarburg a better place - and if you're lucky, you may get to hear him sing.

Smith's next goal is to sing the national anthem at a Brewers game this season, and maybe someday put out his own album.

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].

*Music credit attributed to Michael McLoone*