Valdosta Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Payton, Jr. received the prestigious Certificate of Distinction from the Georgia Municipal Training Institute at the Georgia Municipal Association’s (GMA) 80th Annual Convention in Savannah, on June 24. To receive a Certificate of Distinction, a city official must complete a minimum of 204 units of credit, including 12 required courses and the completion of the two-day Robert E. Knox, Jr. Municipal Leadership Institute. The Certificate of Distinction is the highest level of GMA training certification.

Mayor John Gayle and Councilman At Large Ben Norton each received a Certificate of Recognition for completing 42 units of credit, including three required courses from the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute.

Also attending the conference were City Council Members Tim Carroll, Deidra White and Robert Yost.

The Georgia Municipal Training Institute, a cooperative effort of GMA and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, provides a nationally recognized series of training opportunities for elected city officials. The training program consists of a series of more than 40 six-unit courses.

“This is an outstanding achievement,” said GMA Executive Director Lamar Norton. “We commend Mayor John Gayle, Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Payton, Jr. and Councilman At Large Ben Norton for their accomplishments and for the dedication shown by the other city council members who are using this valuable resource to become more effective city officials.”

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, research, training, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its 500 member cities.