Vermont Public Service Awards
Deborah Markowitz, Secretary of State

President Teddy Roosevelt said, almost a century ago that "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." When he included these words in his speech at the State Fair in Syracuse, New York in 1903 he could have been speaking of Vermont's many hardworking local officials. Our municipal officials devote their free time to everything from hearing zoning disputes and writing land use plans to assessing the value of property in the town and collecting delinquent taxes. They serve for the chance to "work hard at work worth doing." Without them, our communities would not function and our system of self government would come to a standstill.

Local officials serve mostly as volunteers. Their commitment to public service - without pay (or adequate pay), without applause, without personal advancement, is a precious gift, a gift we should celebrate. We couldn't buy it, at any price. Local government works because good people are willing to give up the most precious commodity they have-their time-to the cause of fairness, justice, and to the still vital principle of democracy that everybody gets treated alike, no matter who they are. It is important every now and then to take the time to thank our officials for their contribution to our communities and to the State of Vermont.

Throughout the year, the Secretary of State's Office honored long serving appointed and elected local officials of all fourteen counties at the Vermont Public Service Awards. The purpose of the Vermont Public Service Award program is twofold -it gives our dedicated local officials the recognition they deserve - and, by highlighting the vital role our public servants play in our towns, it will, hopefully, encourage others to serve.

Over the course of the year we went to each county in Vermont and held a ceremony and presented certificates of recognition to the qualified local officials.

I want to give a special thanks to the town clerks who helped make this program success by identifying the local officials in their communities qualifying for the award. To qualify for the Vermont Public Service Award an individual must have served as an elected or appointed local official for 20 or more years. The individual need not currently be in office. For more information about the Vermont Public Service Awards, or to let us know of a local official who should be recognized in your town, please contact the Secretary of State's Office at 1-800-439-8683.

Honoring the efforts of Vermont's local officials is an important step toward building stronger communities. Let's all extend our gratitude for the hard work our local officials do to make our communities and the state of Vermont a better place!

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Vermont Public Service Awards
Click here to see a list of honorees by county