Manhattan City Manager Ron R. Fehr received the Buford M. Watson Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Management for his outstanding work and career in Manhattan. The award is the highest award presented by the Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM).
Fehr began his career in Manhattan in 1982 as the park and forestry supervisor and rose through the ranks of the Parks and Recreation Department to the City Manager’s Office when he became assistant city manager in 1992. He then became the eighth city manager in Manhattan following a national search in 2000. Fehr has managed the city through several significant projects, including the initial downsizing and then regrowth of Fort Riley, a significant downtown redevelopment and STAR Bond project, and was part of the team to recruit the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to Manhattan.
“In light of all the different opportunities Manhattan has been pressed with over the past decade, Ron has been consistent and diligent in his guidance of this community,” past and current administration personnel with the City of Manhattan wrote in their nomination. “The growth and accomplishments speak for themselves. Ron has guided his staff and communicated with constituents in a way that represents the profession and the position of city manager.”
A public presentation of the award is scheduled for Fehr at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in the City Commission Room, City Hall, 1101 Poyntz Ave., with a reception following prior to the City Commission meeting at 7 p.m.
KACM is the association of professional local government management in Kansas and has more than 200 members. The Buford M. Watson Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Management is given each year to a local government manager who has displayed the attributes of the late Buford M. Watson Jr., former city manager of Lawrence from 1970 to 1989. That includes serving as a role model in dealing with constituents, valuing customer satisfaction and encouraging new members of the profession.
