American City & County names 2003 County Leader of the Year
American City &County has selected Angela Connolly, county supervisor for Polk County, Iowa, as the 2003 County Leader of the Year. The magazine presents the award annually to recognize outstanding leadership in county government.
Angela Connolly worked for more than 20 years as an employee of Polk County before being elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1998. Prior to her election, she was a zoning inspector for the county’s Department of Public Works. She was reelected to the Board of Supervisors in November and currently serves as chairperson.
Connolly has been the leading advocate for the county’s construction of a $217 million arena and convention center in downtown Des Moines. In the course of lining up funding for the project, Connolly was instrumental in creating Vision Iowa, a state grant program for similar local government capital projects. As chair of the board, Connolly led the county through a reorganization this year that reduced a potential $12 million budget deficit to less than $2 million. Additionally, Connolly worked with county staff and Iowa State University to conduct the first scientific survey of county residents’ opinions of county services.
American City &County readers submit nominations for the County Leader of the Year Award. The magazine’s editorial staff selects the award’s recipient each year.
American City &County will honor Connolly at the 2003 Annual Conference of the National Association of Counties, which is being held July 11-15 in Milwaukee. A profile of Connolly and her award-winning work will be featured in the July issue of American City &County.
American City &County has been the voice of local government since 1909. The magazine serves an audience of city and county officials who are charged with developing and implementing local government policy, programs and projects. The magazine maintains its leadership position by providing its readers with news, government trends, policy alternatives and operational solutions. For more information about the magazine, visit www.americancityandcounty.com. American City &County is published monthly by Primedia Business Magazines &Media Inc.