by Cyndy Liedtke Hogan

Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell was among those named Governing magazine?s Public Officials of the Year last month.

In honoring Purcell, Governing called him consistently effective at promoting downtown housing, prodding the school system to improve, luring new businesses to the community and introducing a management system, based on performance audits, that has revitalized a once-tired city hall bureaucracy.

A profile in the magazine stated that Purcell has focused on promoting quality of life during his seven years as mayor of the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County.

?The fact is that businesses are coming to Metro Nashville simply because it?s a good place to live and work,? the article stated.

One of Purcell?s first initiatives was to fund miles of new sidewalks in the city.

He?s also added more downtown housing, including affordable units, and greatly expanded greenways in the city.

?The biggest quality-of-life issue he?s tackled, though, has been education,? the magazine profile stated.
Purcell, former chair and current member of NLC?s Council on Youth, Education and Families, has boosted education funding by $150 million. He also switched to budgeting for school capital needs on an annual basis, moving away from the inconsistent funding that had made it difficult for essential upkeep to take place.

Governing also named the following state and local officials Public Officials of the Year for 2006:

? Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi

? Richard J. Codey, president, New Jersey Senate

? Rick Cole, city manager, Ventura, Calif.

? Mary Dempsey, library commissioner, Chicago

? Salvatore F. DiMasi, speaker, Massachusetts House

? Philip Mangano, executive director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

? Dianah L. Neff, former chief information officer, Philadelphia

? Ron Sims, county executive, King County, Wash.

Details: See http://www.governing.com/poy/2006/intro.htm.