Austin City Administrator Craig Clark was recognized by the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities on July 23 during the Coalition’s three-day summer conference in Duluth for his excellence in service to Greater Minnesota.

The Excellence in Service Award is annually given to a city leader who demonstrates knowledge, leadership and active participation in CGMC over the past year.

As a member of the Board of Directors for both the CGMC and its economic development-focused sister organization, the Greater Minnesota Partnership, Clark is a strong advocate for Greater Minnesota.

This year, he continued to be actively engaged in CGMC issues despite starting a new job as the Austin city administrator.

He was especially involved in two key issues that the CGMC worked on during the legislative session — workforce housing and environmental regulatory reform — and testified on these issues at the Legislature. In addition, he brought attention to the needs of Greater Minnesota by penning an end-of-session column that was published in several newspapers throughout the state.

“Craig is one of the go-to guys for our organization,” Heidi Omerza, president of the CGMC and a member of the Ely City Council, said in a press release. “He is well-spoken and passionate about many issues, particularly economic development, and is always willing to help advance Greater Minnesota’s priorities in any way he can.”