A state award for leadership and role modeling in local government was presented to Rick Getschow, Eden Prairie’s city manager for the past 13 years.
The Dr. Robert A. Barrett Award for Management Excellence was given to Getschow by the Minnesota City/County Management Association (MCMA) earlier this month at its annual conference.
It’s an award with a long title that can be easily shortened, according to Mayor Ron Case, who nominated Getschow for the honor.
“I’ll just paraphrase that: It’s the city manager of the year for the state of Minnesota,” said Case, who called it a “validation” of the Eden Prairie City Council’s hiring record: city manager is the one hiring that is assigned to the city council; the city manager hires the rest of city staff.
It’s also a told-you-so moment for the city council, which in April announced high marks for Getschow – and a pay raise – as a result of his latest performance evaluation by the council.
“We’ve known for quite a while he’s a No. 1 city manager, so it’s no surprise to us,” Council Member Kathy Nelson remarked about the Getschow award. “We’re glad they recognized it, too.”
This is the first time an Eden Prairie city manager has won the award, which has been presented since 1952. A former EP city manager, Scott Neal, won the award for 2019-2020 but was employed by Edina with the same title at the time.
According to MCMA, the award is the organization’s highest and is presented to a manager who demonstrates respected leadership in their city; serves as a role model for others in city/county government as well as in the profession of local government management; and has a track record of supporting professional local government through outreach to peers, the public, and those entering the profession.
Getschow called the award a pleasant surprise.
“It’s a testament to our employees and our residents, those who live and work here,” he added. “I’m just trying to keep this great city moving along, that’s all.”
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