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William L. Steude Ethics and Civility in Local Government Award

William L. Steude Ethics and Civility in Local Government Award

Do you know of someone who should receive this award?

Click here to submit a nomination>

Origin and Purpose of the Award

The William L. Steude Award was established to honor individuals for significant and tangible achievement in the field of local government ethics and civility.

Nominees should be an official or employee of a member municipality of the Michigan Municipal League, a member of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys, or other person associated with local government.

Selection of recipients is made by the Awards Committee comprised of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys and the president and the executive director of the Michigan Municipal League.

The award is dedicated to the memory of William L. Steude, former general counsel of the Michigan Municipal League and good friend of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys.

Submit by Aug. 2, 2019!

Criteria and Procedure for Nomination

The following are the criteria the Awards Committee will consider, and the procedure for nomination. The Awards Committee does not expect any nominee to meet all of the criteria. However, to be selected, a nominee should satisfactorily meet most of the criteria. How the nominee meets the listed criteria should be thoroughly described in the statement in support of the nomination and in the letters of endorsement.

  1. The nominee should be an official or employee of a member municipality of the Michigan Municipal League (League), a member the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys (MAMA), or other person associated with local government.
  2. The nominee has realized significant and tangible achievements in the field of local government ethics and civility which have benefited local municipal officials, employees, attorneys, and individuals generally.
  3. The nominee’s achievements have advanced or inspired ideas and examples of ethics and civility in the League and MAMA programs and activities.
  4. The nominee’s achievements have enhanced the image of local government. Please provide information showing how the nominee’s achievements enhanced the esteem in which local government officials, employees and attorneys are held and how the achievements benefited the League and MAMA organizations.
  5. The nominee has received recognition either locally or nationally or both for these achievements.
  6. The nominee’s achievements demonstrate personal characteristics of integrity, honesty, leadership, selflessness, dedication, tact, diplomacy, ethics and civility in dealing with peers, the public and the media.
  7. The nominee’s participation on panels or programs, sponsored by local, state or national professional associations, or presentation of papers or articles on the issues that are the subject of this award.
  8. Scholarship.
  9. Awards and honors received including fellowships and scholarships, or other special contributions or attributes of the nominee.

To Submit a Nomination

Each nomination should address the above criteria and include:

  1. Completed online nomination form (or substantially similar form).
  2. A clear and concise statement in support of the nomination, describing the significant and tangible achievements in the field of local government ethics and civility (see criteria above). For instance, a recent recipient of the Steude Award was instrumental in the enactment of a municipal ethics ordinance.
  3. Minimum of three letters of endorsement. Each letter should convey information about the ethical and civility achievements of the nominee in the field of local government, personal characteristics of the nominee, and how the nominee fulfills the criteria. Letters of endorsement may be written by municipal officials (mayor, village president, manager, administrator, etc.), legal counsel for the municipality, other community leaders, or attorneys in municipal or related practices of law.

Additional Details

  • The Awards Committee reserves the right to withhold bestowal of the award in any given year.
  • Nominators may resubmit nominations from previous years, if appropriate, but any resubmitted nominations should be updated to include or reflect achievements since submission of the previous nominations.
  • The award will be presented at an awards ceremony held at the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys meeting in Lansing, October 17th.
  • A plaque will be bestowed upon the recipient and the name of the recipient and year of the award will be noted on the permanent plaque at the headquarters of the League.
  • The submission deadline is Aug. 2, 2019.

Click here for a listing of previous award recipients>