-- Honor presented by state local government management association --
Salisbury City Manager W. Lane Bailey has received the John Whitehurst Service Award at the North Carolina City & County Management Association (NCCCMA) Winter Seminar in Winston-Salem, for his service and dedication to local government management. The award, only given when exceptional candidates are presented, was developed “to honor North Carolina managers who follow Whitehurst’s example of consistency and diligence in his support of all local government professionals.”
Bailey has more than 30 years of city and county management experience and has been the city manager in Salisbury for nearly five years. His previous local government management experience includes stints in Polk County, Lenoir and Salisbury.
An alumnus of Appalachian State University (ASU) in Boone, N.C., Bailey previously served as president of the ASU Local Government Alumni Association, whose mission is to support professional training and continuing education, and to increase information exchange, camaraderie, and goodwill among alumni of the Town Administrator City County Manager (TACCM) and Masters in Public Administration (MPA) Programs at ASU.
As a testament to his dedication in training the next generation of local government managers, Bailey has mentored more than 15 interns from both the ASU and the UNC Chapel Hill MPA programs throughout his career. This mentorship has been a personal mission of his for a number of years.
Bailey is a staunch ally for local government managers and the important role they play in serving all aspects of the community. He serves as a mentor and support resource for displaced and transitioning managers, as well as other local government leaders throughout the state.
He has been actively involved with the NCCCMA and International City/County Manager’s Association (ICMA) since becoming a member in 1990. Bailey currently serves as the Southeast Regional Vice President of ICMA, and routinely travels to visit with other states in the region to increase engagement and provide sound guidance for their management programs. He served on the ICMA International Committee, where he had an opportunity to host local government officials from countries such as South Africa, East Timor and Malaysia.
“I am beyond humbled to receive this award, named after a great local government professional and an even greater person,” said Bailey. “Throughout my career, I’ve only tried to exemplify the same principles that those who came before me possessed. Mr. Whitehurst was a great example of servant leadership and giving back to the local government profession. I am very honored.”
According to his nomination form, “Lane is an outstanding leader who has created a re-energized shift in Salisbury’s organizational culture through implementation of the Salisbury Way, our internal service philosophy, and who has developed ways to increase citizen engagement through transparency and communication. He has provided outstanding leadership through community challenges and created unique opportunities that move both the community and the organization forward. He leads with both character and integrity and has shared his expectations for all employees to do the same.”
The Whitehurst Award was named after John E. Whitehurst, who served as a local government manager throughout his career. He was the County Manager for Bertie and Stanly Counties for 28 years. Whitehurst then served the NCCCMA as president from 1993-1994, as well as a contract project manager for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) for 10 years. In 1996, NCCCMA honored Whitehurst with the prestigious Life Membership for his contributions to our profession and Association. After Mr. Whitehurst’s retirement, he continued to serve local government managers for more than 15 years as a range rider/senior advisor through NCCCMA and ICMA.