In a release from the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC), it was announced that Bemidji City Councilor Ron Johnson received the President’s Award during the Coalition’s three-day summer conference in Bemidji.

The award marks the culmination of Johnson’s tenure as president of the CGMC. As president, Johnson has led a successful push for a $30 million increase in Local Government Aid (LGA), an amount which will finally bring the program back up to its 2002 high-water mark. Johnson has also been a vocal and effective advocate for the CGMC’s other legislative priorities such as clean water infrastructure, economic development programs, funding for city streets and highway projects in Greater Minnesota, and exploring solutions to the childcare shortage.

“Ron’s commitment to his city and Greater Minnesota is remarkable, he has only missed two events in nearly 20 years of involvement with the CGMC, which just shows his passion for helping to advance the issues that are important to Greater Minnesota cities,” said CGMC Executive Director Bradley Peterson.

“He brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role of president, and his steady guidance was a key to achieving success on LGA and other critical issues this year,” said Peterson.

CGMC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization representing 97 cities outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Coalition educates legislators about issues important to Greater Minnesota.

By — Chaz Mootz