Mankato City Manager Susan Arntz receives Dr. Robert A. Barrett Award for Management Excellence
Mankato City Manager Susan Arntz was presented with the prestigious Dr. Robert A. Barrett Award for Management Excellence at the annual conference of the Minnesota City/County Management Association (MCMA) in Brainerd on Thursday, May 1. Arntz, who has been working in public service for decades, has served as Mankato City Manager since 2020. The award goes to a member of MCMA who has “demonstrated the best in professional competence and commitment”. This award is viewed as the pinnacle for a public servant working in city or county government.
“I cannot think of anyone more deserving,” Mankato Mayor Najwa Massad stated in her nomination letter. “I have had the pleasure of observing Mrs. Arntz interacting with Council members and members of the community. In every instance, she makes them feel she is listening to their questions and concerns and they really matter. She always goes above and beyond of what is asked of her and she does not run away from hard issues, rather faces them with grit and strength.”
Among the criteria for the award:
- Being a role model for others in city/county government as well as in the profession of local government management.
- Demonstrating respected leadership in the city, county, region, or statewide.
- Having a track record of supporting professional local government through outreach to peers, the general public, and those entering the profession.
MCMA is a professional association of appointed managers and administrators who serve Minnesota’s cities and counties. The organization “supports excellence in local government management, believing that all communities benefit by drawing on the expertise of one another”.
