Previous Winners
2006:
Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi
Richard J. Codey, president, New Jersey Senate
Rick Cole, city manager, Ventura, California
Mary Dempsey, library commissioner, Chicago
Salvatore F. DiMasi, speaker, Massachusetts House
Philip Mangano, executive director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Dianah L. Neff, former chief information officer, Philadelphia
Bill Purcell, mayor of Nashville/Davidson County
Ron Sims, county executive, King County, Washington
2005:
Paula Dockery, Florida state senator
Thomas Frieden, MD, New York City health commissioner
John W. Hickenlooper, mayor of Denver
Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas
Jerry Luke LeBlanc, Louisiana commissioner of administration
Thomas W. Payzant, Boston school superintendent
Thomas R. Suozzi, Nassau County executive
Teri Takai, Michigan chief information officer
2004:
Kevin S. Burke, chief judge, Hennepin County Court
Shirley Franklin, mayor of Atlanta
Tricia Leddy, administrator, Rhode Island Center for Child and Family Health
Jim McConnell, director of facilities services, Los Angeles Unified School District
Richard H. Moore, treasurer, North Carolina
W. Val Oveson, chief information officer, Utah
Mark Warner, governor of Virginia, and John Chichester, state Senate Finance Committee chairman
2003:
Jerry E. Abramson, mayor of Louisville Metro
Bob Riley, governor of Alabama
Doug Christensen, Nebraska education commissioner
Mark Funkhouser, city auditor, Kansas City, Missouri
Diane L. Hardt, Wisconsin tax administrator
David Molchany, chief information officer, and Wanda Gibson, director of the Information Technology Department, Fairfax county, Virginia
Joseph P. Riley Jr., mayor of Charleston, South Carolina
Fran Pavley, member, California Assembly
Carolyn T. Purcell, former Texas chief information officer
Regina V.K. Williams, city manager of Norfolk, Virginia
2002:
Brian Bosma, minority leader, and John R. Gregg, speaker, Indiana House of Representatives
Cathy Cox, secretary of state, state of Georgia
Howard Dean, governor of Vermont
Charles F. Gerhards, chief information officer, state of Pennsylvania
Renee Lewis Glover, executive director, Atlanta Housing Authority
James C. Hankla, chief executive officer, Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
Carol Marinovich, city council member, Kansas City, Kansas
Robert F. Milligan, comptroller, state of Florida
Eliot Spitzer, attorney general, state of New York
Frances Edwards-Winslow, director of emergency preparedness, city of San Jose, California
2001:
C. Stephen Allred, director, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Garnet F. Coleman, member, Texas House of Representatives
John Engler, governor of Michigan
Deborah L. Jacobs, city librarian, Seattle Public Library
Thomas M. Menino, mayor of Boston
Kathleen Sebelius, insurance commissioner, state of Kansas
David R. Smith, county administrative officer, Maricopa County, Arizona
Aldona K. Valicenti, chief information officer, state of Kentucky
Lois Weisberg, commissioner, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
2000:
Dennis W. Archer, mayor, city of Detroit
Dick Bond, president, Kansas Senate
Jane Campbell, president, Board of County Commissioners, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Jesus Garza, city manager, city of Austin, Texas
Parris N. Glendening, governor, state of Maryland
Jane M. Kenny, commissioner for community affairs, state of New Jersey
Steve E. Kolodney, chief information officer, state of Washington
Robert J. Lavigna, administrator, Wisconsin Division of Merit Recruitment and Selection
Michael J. Pompili, assistant health commissioner, city of Columbus, Ohio
1999:
Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio House of Representatives
Shirley A. Delibero, president, Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority
Bradley S. Dugger, chief of information systems, State of Tennessee
William A. Johnson Jr., mayor, city of Rochester, New York
Michael Leavitt, governor, state of Utah
James T. Moore, commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
James B. Pyers, director of finance, city of Wooster, Ohio
Robert E. Roberts, executive director, Environmental Council of the States
Dr. Robert K. Ross, director of health and human services, San Diego County
Pamela Syfert, city manager, city of Charlotte, North Carolina
1998:
Diana Gale, director, Seattle Public Utilities
Nancy M. Graham, mayor, city of West Palm Beach, Florida
Steven L. Henderson, deputy administrator, Nebraska Information Management Services Division
John D. LaFaver, secretary of revenue, state of Kansas
Zell Miller, governor, state of Georgia
Janice M. Mittermeier, chief executive officer, Orange County, California
Mike Moore, attorney general, state of Mississippi
Paul Muegge, state senator, state of Oklahoma
John O. Norquist, mayor, city of Milwaukee
Richard J. Pennington, chief of police, city of New Orleans
George C. Sinnott, commissioner, New York State Department of Civil Service
1997:
Mary M. Buckelew, president, County Commission, Jefferson County, Alabama
Alan V. Brunacini, fire chief, city of Phoenix
Richard M. Daley, mayor, City of Chicago
Charles Danger, director, Office of Building Code Compliance, Dade County, Florida
Sharon S. Dawes, executive director, Center for Technology in Government, state of New York
H.B. "Hunt" Downer, speaker of the House, state of Louisiana
Mary A. Gade, director, Environmental Protection Agency, state of Illinois
Elizabeth G. Hill, legislative analyst, state of California
Tommy G. Thompson, governor, state of Wisconsin
Anthony A. Williams, chief financial officer, District of Columbia
1996:
John C. Carrow, chief information officer, Philadelphia
Angela Gittens, aviation general manager, Hartsfield-Atlanta Airport, Atlanta
Robert B. Inzer, treasurer/clerk, Tallahassee, Florida
Judith S. Kaye, chief judge, state of New York
Mark W. Killian, speaker, Arizona House of Representatives
Michael P. Peters, mayor, Hartford, Connecticut
Randolph W. Poynter, chairman, board of commissioners, Rockdale County, Georgia
Kathy Prosser, commissioner of environmental management, state of Indiana
Ron Rodenhaver, general mananager, Homestead Municipal Utility District, El Paso, Texas
Roy Romer, governor, state of Colorado
1995:
Harlan Boyles, treasurer, state of North Carolina
Phyllis Busansky, commissioner, Hillsborough County, Florida
Stephen Goldsmith, mayor, Indianapolis
Wilfred Hamm, former chief, District of Columbia Adoption and Placement Resource branch
Bobby Hogue, speaker, Arkansas House of Representatives
John M. Kost, chief information officer, state of Michigan
Bennett Levin, commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections
Sally R. Reed, chief administrative officer, Los Angeles County
George V. Voinovich, governor, state of Ohio
Profiles of the winners
1994:
Frank Fairbanks, city manager, Phoenix
Lawrence H. Fuchs, commissioner, Florida Department of Revenue
Curtis Hertel, co-speaker, Michigan House of Representatives
Paul C. Hillegonds, co-speaker, Michigan House of Representatives
Vera Katz, mayor, Portland, Oregon
Vincent Lane, chairman, Chicago Housing Authority
Ned McWherter, governor, state of Tennessee
Robert M. Melia, first deputy commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Thomas W. Ross, Superior Court Judge, state of North Carolina
Beverly Stein, chair, Multnomah County, Oregon, county commission
Profiles of the winners
Governing's Public Official of the Year awards are a continuation of the Most Valuable Public Official awards given annually by City & State magazine from 1986 to 1993, when City & State and Governing merged. Here's a list of winners of City & State's awards:
1993:
Robert C. Bobb, city manager, Richmond
Kathleen Brown, treasurer, state of California
Manual Garcia, computer services director, Dade County, Florida
Earle E. Morris Jr., comptroller general, state of South Carolina (career achievement)
Edward G. Rendell, mayor, Philadelphia
Michael B. Stoker, supervisor, Santa Barbara, California
1992:
Sharpe James, mayor, Newark
Jan Hart, city manager, Dallas
William H. Hudnut III, former mayor, Indianapolis (career achievement)
Peter McGeoch, deputy director, Department of Administrative Services, Ohio Division of Computer and Information Services
Edward McNamara, county executive, Wayne County, Michigan
Zell Miller, governor, state of Georgia
1991:
James Cowen, retired general manager, Oregon Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District
Raymond L. Flynn, mayor, Boston
Michael Hale, executive administrator, Florida Information Resource Commission
Bill Melton, treasurer, Dallas County
Cesar Odio, city manager, Miami
Tommy G. Thompson, governor, state of Wisconsin
Andrew Young, former mayor, Atlanta (career achievement)
1990:
Nancy Abraham, director, Washington Department of General Services
Jerry Abramson, mayor, Louisville
Henry L. Gardner, city manager, Oakland
Parris Glendening, county executive, Prince George's County, Maryland
Charles Royer, mayor, Seattle
Ronald J. Tober, general manager, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Mary Ellen Withrow, treasurer, state of Ohio
1989:
Juanita Crabb, mayor, Binghamton, New York
Michael Fitzgerald, treasurer, state of Iowa
Dennis Rasmussen, county executive, Baltimore County, Maryland
1988:
Robert A. Bowman, treasurer, state of Michigan
Richard B. Dixon, county executive, Los Angeles County
Michael S. Dukakis, governor, state of Massachusetts
Louis J. Fox, city manager, San Antonio
John M. Gunyou, finance officer, Minneapolis
William H. Hudnut III, mayor, Indianapolis
Sandra R. Tracey, finance chief, Los Angeles County
1987:
Fred L. Armstrong, controller, Indianapolis
Keith Comrie, city manager, Los Angeles
Dianne Feinstein, mayor, San Francisco
Lloyd F. Hara, treasurer, Seattle
Kevin Keogh, finance director, Phoenix
1986:
Marvin Andrews, city manager, Phoenix
Douglas Carter, city manager, Charlotte, North Carolina
Henry Cisneros, mayor, San Antonio
Harrison Goldin, controller, New York City
Gary Norstrem, treasurer, St. Paul, Minnesota