GEORGIA CITY AND COUNTY MANAGERS RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT PROFESSION THROUGH ITS PILLARS OF PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT AWARD [About the Award] [2005 Press Release] On Thursday evening, the Georgia City/County Management Association honored two of their members for their exemplary professionalism, their dedication to advancing excellence in local government management, and for the highly ethical and consistent manner in which they have helped other local government professionals throughout their respective careers. The Association honored these men because they stood out among their peers for bringing dignity and honor to the profession of local government management, as well as to the jurisdictions and governing bodies they have served so faithfully during their careers. Carter Crawford, city manager of Sylvania, and Michael Stewart, assistant director of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, were so honored by their peers at the Fall Conference of the GCCMA in Tifton. “We created this award,” said Larry Hanson, President of the GCCMA, “not just because we wanted to honor our colleagues, but because we want to draw attention to the influential role of the professional local government manager in ensuring that principles of good governance are employed every day in cities and counties throughout the State of Georgia. Most local government management professionals are in their jobs because they believe, as studies have shown, that the most efficient, responsive, transparent and fairest governments are those who employ qualified local government managers.” The Georgia City/County Management Association believes that these awards encourage and strengthen professional local government management in Georgia, and encourage more jurisdictions to adopt this model of local governance. Carter Crawford is a past president of the Georgia City-County Management Association, and his academic preparation was from Georgia Southern University. Carter served as city manager in Millen, Cedartown and Statesboro before going to Sylvania as the city manager in 1999. Mike Stewart started his career in Vienna, Georgia, and later served as county manager in Liberty, Ware and Lowndes Counties before moving to Atlanta to serve as Assistant Director for Administration at the Association County Commissioners of Georgia. Mike earned his undergraduate degree at Columbus College, and received an MPA from Valdosta State University. Mr. Crawford and Mr. Stewart were honored not because they work in the field of local government, but because they have championed ethical management practices, counseled others to consider this satisfying career, and because their actions, speech, conduct and commitment exemplify the best among Georgia’s local government management professionals. The criteria for this award match Crawford’s and Stewart’s career philosophies: they champion the cause of professional local government management; they demonstrate a sustained commitment to personal and professional development through training and education; they mentor, coach and counsel peers, new managers, interns, prospective managers and other colleagues; they demonstrate a consistent commitment to innovation, and they both live and exemplify the tenets of the ICMA (International City/County Management Association) Code of Ethics in their personal and professional lives. The 300-member association of Georgia city and county managers created this Pillars of Excellence in Professional Management Award to recognize how professional local government improves the quality of government and community life in Georgia’s cities and counties, to increase the acceptance and adoption of professional local government forms by drawing attention to the best that the profession has to offer, to build a trail and legacy of great local government managers for purposes of training, counseling and coaching new and prospective local government managers, and to illustrate how these achievements rest on the pillars of fair, ethical and principled professionalism. About the Award [Complete Description (PDF)] [Nomination Form] The Georgia City/County Management Association (GCCMA) has established a new program intended to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of professionalism in Georgia local government by distinguishing themselves through a record of service, or by other activities which have demonstrated the essential worth of professional local government management. The recognition program was authorized last fall by the GCCMA Board of Directors, and is called the Pillars of Professional Management Award. The purpose of the GCCMA Pillars of Professional Management Award is to recognize how professional local government improves the quality of government and community life in Georgia cities and counties, to increase the acceptance and adoption of professional local government by drawing attention to the best the profession has to offer, and to build a trail and legacy of great local government managers for training, counseling and coaching of new and prospective local government managers. The award program should also demonstrate how cities and counties can benefit from the recruitment and retention of professional managers and administrators. In this way, the efficiency and continuity of ‘good government’ is also advanced. The awards committee will accept nominations in two categories; the criteria for each is similar but not identical because category #1 is limited to those persons who are current local government managers and administrators, and category #2 is for non-managers who have nevertheless worked to advance the profession (e.g., range riders, elected officials, etc.). Category #1 - Criteria for Full Members of GCCMA Category #2 - Criteria for other GCCMA members and non- GCCMA Persons Champions professional local government management Champions professional local government management Demonstrates a sustained commitment to personal and professional development through training and education Helps local government professionals through the provision and promotion of training Mentors, coaches, and counsels peers, new managers, prospective managers, and colleagues Mentors, counsels, and advises managers and elected officials as a reliable resource in promoting professional local management Demonstrates a commitment to innovation in professional local government programs Provides valuable assistance to managers to enable the implementation of one or more innovative programs Exemplifies the tenets of the ICMA Code of Ethics during a time of trial, difficulty, or hardship (with specific examples provided) Exemplifies high ethical standards which are in harmony with the spirit of the ICMA Code of Ethics