By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood - Ironwood City Manager Scott Erickson has received a coveted award from the Michigan Municipal League.
At Monday's regular city commission meeting, acting Mayor Kim Corcoran said the Sinclair award had been announced at an MML meeting last week attended by Ironwood officials.
Corcoran congratulated Erickson on the award, citing his job performance with the city.
The Sinclair Exceptional Service Award, first awarded in 2008, is a peer-nomination in honor and memory of Rogers City Council member Jim Sinclair, who was called "a tireless promoter of local government and fervent believer in education and training for elected officials."
The award, announced last Wednesday in Lansing, is given as a tribute to "Sinclair's legacy of personal dedication, passion and commitment to the League and its mission," according to the MML.
Ypsilanti Mayor Pro Tempore Lois Allen-Richardson was also honored with the award.
Erickson has been Ironwood's city manager for more than 10 years and is a strong supporter of open communications between his office, the public and elected officials, said MML CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin.
"Erickson embodies the Sinclair award with his dedication to educating commissions," Gilmartin said. "He ensures that Ironwood's commission members have the opportunity to be actively engaged in trainings, workshops and conventions.
"To keep the commission abreast of the city's basic needs and operations, workshops are often held before meetings and vary as the needs of the city change. Erickson also sees the value of learning from other municipalities. On numerous occasions, he has arranged for the commission to visit other communities to see what they are doing and to talk with other city officials who have been down the same road," Gilmartin said.
Erickson has served on the MML's board of trustees.
Gilmartin said Erickson "is actively involved in many Ironwood organizations, putting a face to the 'city' and gaining a greater understanding of community needs and wants."
Corcoran said a hot topic at the MML gathering was the loss of revenue sharing funds in recent years by Michigan communities.
She said since 2002, a total of $3 million has been "diverted" from Ironwood's state revenue sharing funds.