City of Bothell Councilmembers, Ben Mahnkey and Jenne Alderks, recently earned a Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC).
AWC’s Certificate of Municipal Leadership program recognizes city and town elected officials for accomplishing training in five core areas:
- Roles, responsibilities, and legal requirements
- Public sector resource management
- Community planning and development
- Effective local leadership
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
“Being a city leader in Washington is a complex job,” said AWC CEO Deanna Dawson. “Through our CML program we are providing our elected officials with the knowledge they need to effectively operate within the law, plan for the future, secure and manage funds, foster strong relationships, and work to build more equitable communities.”
Mahnkey and Alderks completed more than 30 hours of training to earn this distinction.
As passionate stewards of the community, both Mahnkey and Alderks were elected to serve on Bothell City Council for the 2022-2025 term. Councilmember Mahnkey has been on a number of local boards and commissions including the City’s Civil Service Commission, Council Salary Commission, LEOFF 1 Board, and the Snohomish County Ethics Commission. Councilmember Alderks previously served on the City's Planning Commission and is part of Anti-Racist Communities of Bothell (ARC) as well as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Run Club.
AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's 281 cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs such as the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Workers’ Comp Retro, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.