Tommy Leon Melton is only the fourth posthumous inductee into the Hall of Fame. This mentor to most every Oklahoma municipal clerk or treasurer who took office between 1963 and 1999 succumbed on March 19 to cancer. He learned prior to his death that his colleagues were intending to nominate him for the Hall of Fame.
Read MoreThomas Welborne Talley is serving his eighth year on the Hobart City Council and as mayor the past seven. A private practice attorney in Hobart, he also serves on the boards of the Southwestern Oklahoma Development Authority and Hobart Main Street. He was recognized by the Oklahoma Conference of Mayors in 2007 as “Mayor of the Year for a Community of 5,000 or Under”. His service to Hobart was also honored that year by the Oklahoma Community Institute for “Exemplary Leadership in Your Community”.
Read MoreThe Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials may induct one person posthumously each year. The Foundation has selected for 2004 an individual who served in Oklahoma local government for 34 years prior to his death earlier this year at age 60. Terry H. Powell served in three Oklahoma communities and on the international board for his profession. Throughout this service, he was known for his compassion, integrity, dedication, respect for elected officials, and most of all his passion for the communities he served.
Read MoreSusan Savage had a remarkable career of progressive advancement in municipal government before being appointed, in January 2003, to her current position as Oklahoma Secretary of State. Her municipal service began in 1974, when she became a pre-trial representative for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas after graduation from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Mary Susan Savage's career eventually led to becoming the first woman to serve as Mayor of Tulsa, a position she held for almost 10 years, the longest tenure of any mayor of that city.
Read MoreA support letter for the nomination of Stephen Reel noted that while he may resist the title, his efforts qualify him as one of the early “pioneers” in building local government support organizations that now number in the hundreds throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and in Europe. In addition to his significant accomplishments, he was also a prevailing co-counsel in a landmark case that held unconstitutional an attempt by the state legislature to impose a fee on municipalities for autopsies performed by the State Medical Examiner. And, if you have ever attended a training session he presented you are well aware that the photo of him in the clown suit is not the only time he has used his sense of humor to help us feel good about what we do.
Read MoreStanley Warren Alexander, a native of Phillips, Texas, served nearly 32 years on The Village City Council in two stints. His first service on the council was from May 1971 until late November 1978, when he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He was re-elected to the city council in May 1985 and served this time for 24 years until he did not seek re-election in May 2009.
Read MoreBeing inducted into a hall of fame is nothing new to Robert J. LaFortune. This legendary public official was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1975, the University of Tulsa Engineering Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1988.
Read MoreA law-enforcement career spanning more than 38 years, three cities and one state agency, has brought about a strong commitment in Oklahoma to professionalism and enhanced agency cooperation in all sectors of the criminal justice system. In 1963, as a rookie patrolman on the Oklahoma City Police Department and throughout his career as a Police Chief, Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and head of a corporate investigative service, Robert Hicks has been a catalyst for professionalism and cooperation in law enforcement.
Read MoreWhen the person nominating Robert Johnston for the Hall of Fame was asked to describe what may distinguish him from others holding similar positions that person wrote, “Leadership in statewide policy and advisory organizations”. And that has indeed been a hallmark of his career. Robert has consistently provided leadership to make lives safer and especially to make government services more reliable. This has been true in all facets of his life, whether at work, in civic endeavors, or at church; which is why current Frederick Mayor Eddie Whitworth describes Robert as “a real community man”. And, he will always make you feel welcome, even if you are just passing through from Arkansas to New Mexico.
Read MoreSmart, sharp, savvy, spirited, and service-oriented. These words and just about every positive
adjective one can imagine describe the woman behind the municipal government legacy of Patience Latting.
This humble lady from Texhoma blazed a path in public service for women and minorities throughout the country as she dedicated her considerable talents and energy to "the public good." Whether it was applying her graduate degree to redistricting the Oklahoma Legislature after the 1960 census, or as an active member of the Parent-Teacher Association, Patience Latting used her gentleness and unflinching resolve for "the public good."
Pam is the recipient of the 2017 Gerald Wilkins Award (City Manager of the Year Award) given by the City Management Association of Oklahoma. Recipients of this award are credited with strengthening the city manager form of government through their stable length of service to cities; dedication to civic activities; and participation in, and contribution to, CMAO; and commitment to the ICMA Code of Ethics.
Read MoreThe son of a postal worker and school teacher, Mick Cornett is a fifth-generation Oklahoman. Today, Mayor Cornett is in the final months of a successful 14-year run as Oklahoma City’s first four-term Mayor. He’s considered one of the most honored mayors in U.S. history – top mayor in the state, top mayor in the country – and an international panel selected him as the No. 2 mayor in the world. Newsweek magazine called him one of the “five most innovative Mayors in the United States.” Governing named him “Public Official of the Year” in 2010. Politico placed him on the publication’s Politico 50 list of “thinkers, doers, and visionaries transforming American politics in 2015.”
Read MoreMike is best known and recognized for his tireless advancement and promotion of public administration in our state. Building on his success in Granite and Mannford, Mike has attended over 70 city council meetings throughout the state, speaking on topics such as "How to Hire a City Manager", "Understanding the Role of Elected Officials" and his "Out of the Box" series on economic development and financial success for municipal operations. Mike has traveled the state as an evangelist for innovative thinking and practices for public administrators and elected officials. In promoting the economy of the community he looks for win-win strategies that suit the needs of the business as well as the Town. These travels and lectures have been at no charge to the cities and towns receiving this training - Mike charges neither honorarium nor mileage to these communities. Mike has also appeared in two training DVDs produced by OMAG, "Understanding the Role of Elected Officials" and "Mayor!".
Read MoreElected first as a Weatherford City Commissioner in April 1996, and then as Mayor in January 2004 of this strong mayor form of government community, he is now the longest-serving mayor in the history of Weatherford. In addition, he is the only sitting Oklahoma Municipal League President to be inducted into this hall of fame.
Read MoreHe is the sole recipient of the President's Gold Award from the Oklahoma Municipal League, which was created in 2011 to recognize service to Oklahoma local governments and officials, by a non-public official. Mike worked for the City of Edmond for 2 years prior to going into private practice as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). That, along with experience gained from auditing cities and towns "hooked" him on local government.
Read MoreMike has served as a city attorney for many communities: Ponca City, Okmulgee, Morris, and Broken Bow, and has also done consulting and contract work for Chandler, Enid, Verdigris, Winchester, McAlester, and several others. In 2018 he was awarded the Local Government Fellow Award presented by the International Municipal Lawyers Association. That same year he was awarded the Outstanding County Bar Association Award from the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Read MoreWhile perhaps best known for her unequaled service as a full-time city attorney in three Oklahoma communities, Mary Ann Karns also has been a significant influence in other ways on Oklahoma local government. For one, she is credited by many as being a key influence on the educational programs offered for municipal counsel throughout the state. And perhaps most significantly, others recognize her as a singular stabilizing influence in the mid-1970s after municipal collective bargaining turmoil wracked the state. One support letter extolled her professionalism as a negotiator and as one who trained and educated many municipal administrators and union representatives alike.
Read MoreRupp has an extensive list of involvement in various organizations, local, county, and statewide, that relate to her positions with Stillwater and Perry. These organizations aid both local government and communities in working together to address the needs of local youth, assist in strengthening neighborhoods, promoting economic development and service response, and delivery.
Read MoreMarilyn served as the first woman mayor of Ponca City a position she held for two terms, but that was only one of her firsts. Serving as the Chairman of Ponca City's 911 Advisory Board, Ponca City became the first city in Oklahoma to provide enhanced 911 services to its citizens. She also served as one of the founders of the Ponca City Main Street Program and was instrumental in starting dental assistance education at the Pioneer Technology Center.
Read MoreA humble and dedicated public servant for the past 48 years, who always give credit to his “team”, never to himself, is a theme that resonated throughout the nomination form and support letters for inductee Leroy Herman Lage. Although he “retired” in 2000, this Watonga native continues to serve his hometown today as City Treasurer - a position to which he was first elected in 1994. He was elected Treasurer while also serving as the Finance Director and Light and Water Commissioner for the city for a total of 41 years from 1959 to 2000. And for the past 29 years, he has represented the Watonga-Geary-Calumet area as a trustee for the Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, the third-largest such cooperative in the country.
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