Centreville Mayor Mike Oakley and Councilman (Mayor Pro-Tem) Mike Nichols have received diplomas for finishing and obtaining their basic and advanced Certified Municipal Official designations. In addition, Mayor Oakley received an award for graduating from the prestigious Philip Morris Design course.
Mayor Oakley said: “I have tried hard to learn what I need to know to help me be a better leader, learner, and follower in order to help Centreville be all it can be as a result of my efforts. When I ran for Mayor I was serious about making a positive difference through hard work and creating positive momentum.”
Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Nichols said: “I am proud to have been able to serve Centreville and Bibb County in any capacity I could. This award is the end result of what we set out to do, to be the best elected representatives for Centreville that we could be. I would like to thank the League of Municipalities for giving us the opportunity to learn and grow in our roles.”
The 2023 Municipal Leadership Institute Graduation Ceremony was held at the Perdido Beach Resort in November 2023.
The Certified Municipal Official Program is voluntary and open to all elected municipal officials. The League conducts a one-day continuing education session at least twice a year at four regional sites. These sessions are for elected municipal officials – mayors and councilmembers – who voluntarily wish to receive formal training in municipal government. Participants earn 5 credit hours by attending these sessions. Credit hours may also be earned by attending other League or National League of Cities conferences or through service on League committees and boards. Outside credit is also awarded for attendance of approved seminars.
Any official who earns 40 credit hours in the program will be awarded the designation of Certified Municipal Official (CMO). Currently, more than 4,000 elected municipal officials are enrolled in this program. There have been 1,171 elected municipal officials to complete the basic 40 hours of training required for the CMO designation. There have been 579 officials to complete their advanced hours.
In response to requests from CMO graduates, an Advanced CMO Program was established in 1998. This program allows elected municipal officials who have achieved the basic CMO designation to obtain additional training. Several seminars are conducted each year for the Advanced CMO Program. Those who have received both their CMO and Advanced CMO designations have the opportunity to obtain the Certified Municipal Official Emeritus designation. The CMO Emeritus is awarded to those who complete a minimum of 120 credit hours of Continuing CMO Education plus 15 points. The CMO Emeritus designation was approved in 2015. Currently, 24 elected municipal officials have completed the requirements for the CMO Emeritus designation.
Graduates of the Advanced CMO and CMO Emeritus program can retain their status by obtaining 20 hours of continuing CMO credit during a three year period.
Source: https://almonline.org/CMOProgram.aspx
