Staff Reports
The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) held their Annual Mayors’ Day Conference on Sunday, January 27, 2019. During the conference, Sugar Hill City Manager Paul Radford received the Certificate of Achievement from the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Traning Institute.
According to their website, GMA was created in 1933 and is the “only state organization that represents municipal governments in Georgia.” They operate out of Atlanta and GMA is a nonprofit, voluntary organization which “ provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its members.” Their members consist of 538 member cities.
GMA, in a cooperative effort with the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, offers a nationally recognized series of training opportunities for city officials called the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute. In order to receive a Certificate of Achievement, “a city official must complete a minimum of 72 hours of credit, including at least 36 hours from a list of required classes. The training program consists of a series of more than 60 courses.”
The City of Sugar Hill is a progressive city focused on providing its residents with the best services possible. It is very focused on learning, sending their employees to get the best training possible and to share their own knowledge acquired over the years. That knowledge is brought back to benefit the city and help grow downtown Sugar Hill.
When asked about Paul Radford’s achievement, Sugar Hill Mayor Steve Edwards said, “To have a success story, you need folks that are like minded. Paul and our Council are just that, laser-focused on downtown Sugar Hill. Paul is so humble but truth be known he taught many of the great courses GMA offers. He is truly a man all about public service.”
“This is an outstanding achievement,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “We commend Paul for this accomplishment and for the dedication he’s shown in using this valuable resource to become a more effective city official.”
