By Al Vanderberg
I was excited to learn recently that ICMA has decided to bestow the ICMA Distinguished Service Award, the top award in our profession, on longtime colleague and friend Dr. Daryl J. Delabbio!
The Distinguished Service Award is given to a manager who has made an outstanding contribution to the management profession and local government. The award is conferred by the ICMA Executive Board and typically only two are granted each year. However, 2020 was an exceptional year with three awards given.
Daryl was a perfect criteria match as he made significant contributions in regional, state, and national management associations; was a mentor and sage for many managers, both in Michigan and around the country; taught and lectured at the university level; developed many interns over the years; and was a thought leader who advanced the state of the art and practice of city/county management over the years – to just mention a few.
“I am profoundly humbled and deeply honored to receive this recognition from the ICMA. To receive this award is beyond anything I would or could expect. I want to thank Al Vanderberg for the nomination, and the ICMA Executive Board for bestowing it,” said Daryl Delabbio. “We can’t accomplish anything without surrounding ourselves with great people. I owe any success I’ve had to the many colleagues I worked with over 40 years in the profession— those who were with me in the four Michigan communities I was fortunate to serve. We do noble work, and I hope that throughout my career I exhibited passion, integrity, and servant leadership for the profession I love. I will never diminish the importance of this award, but knowing the complexity of problems, issues, and challenges that you are facing, putting that into context helps me better understand how blessed I am.”
Most of you know that I served as deputy county administrator of Kent County, working for Daryl for nearly five years. I can’t think of anyone more deserving or who has been more of a friend, mentor, colleague, and inspiration to our Michigan managers.
Congratulations to Daryl on rising to the pinnacle of the public management profession by achieving the ICMA Distinguished Service Award!
In other news, nominations for the 2020 Patriarche Award will close on July 24 and I have not received any nominations to date. The Patriarche Award is not granted every year, so if no nominations are received the Experience Committee will decide whether the award will be granted this year.
The Experience Committee will soon begin collecting information for the MME history update and we will soon be seeking nominations for our MME association awards.
Al Vanderberg
Chair, Experience Committee
Ottawa County Administrator