A firm dedication to serving Coconino County residents and helping prepare the County for a sound future earned Deputy County Manager Mike Townsend the 2014 Catherine F. Connolly Professional Excellence Award.
The award was announced Thursday evening at the annual Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA) Winter Conference in Sedona. The award was created in 2007 to recognize assistant city and county managers who demonstrate exemplary service to their organization and community.
“When you work with Mike, you quickly realize that he is looking at the big picture and how our organization can deliver services more efficiently to our citizens,” County Manager Cynthia Seelhammer wrote in her nomination of Townsend. “Mike has a strong grasp of the impacts of county decisions on our 135,000 county residents.”
In addition to being named as ACMA’s first county official to receive the award, Townsend added that he was honored with his nomination.
“Throughout my career, I have kept my focus on serving the community in which I live and raise my family,” the Flagstaff native said. “It is an honor to be recognized by my organization and by ACMA.”
Townsend began his career with the County in 2000 as Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer, and was ultimately promoted to Deputy County Manager in 2007. He served as interim Coconino County Manager for 22 months after former County Manager Steve Peru retired in November 2011.
Under Townsend’s direction and dedication to thorough financial planning, the County was able to weather the 2008 Great Recession without laying off any employees, while continuing to provide residents with the services they needed.
The Arizona City/County Management Association was established in 1954. It is a non-profit, professional organization dedicated to increasing the knowledge and ability of city, town, and county managers, as well as other local government administrators and to strengthen the quality of local government in the State of Arizona through professional management, education, training, and the mutual exchange of information.