Contact:
Matt Bach
Michigan Municipal League
c: (810) 874-1073; [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2021

Orion Township Supervisor Receives Michael A. Guido Leadership Award from Michigan Municipal League

ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett was recognized with the Michael A. Guido Leadership and Public Service Award from the Michigan Municipal League today for his outstanding contributions to his community and state. The award is one of the most prestigious individual honors given by the League.

Barnett received the recognition recently during the League’s 2021 virtual Capital Conference.

“Receiving this recognition from fellow municipal leaders is an honor of the highest level. Doing the work of a township manager is all about helping people and ensuring our communities offer the very best services so that people and businesses want to locate there and others want to visit,” said Barnett, who has served in his role as Orion Township Supervisor since 2012.

As Orion Township Supervisor, Barnett has fully embraced the township’s motto “Where living is a vacation” by bringing the community’s parks and trails to life. Barnett has also ensured the township is an active member of the local community by ensuring it is present and represented on organizations like the DDA Board, Dutton Farms Board, Orion Area Chamber of Commerce Board, North Oakland Community Coalition, and the Orion Veterans Memorial Board.

Barnett has also dedicated himself to positioning Orion Township as a leader at the regional and state levels. He serves as president of the Oakland County Association of Township Supervisors and vice chair of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, where he also sits on the Finance and Budget Committee. Barnett is also the past president of the Oakland County Chapter of the Michigan Townships Association.

Westland Mayor and League Board President William Wild helped lead the selection committee and has long been impressed with Barnett’s leadership.

“The very best municipal leaders recognize that no community is an island, and the long hours Chris Barnett has put in to ensure his community is engaged at the local, regional, and state level has helped ensure better policy outcomes and better services for Orion Township, and forcommunities across the state,” Wild said.

About the Guido Award: The Michigan Municipal League’s Michael A. Guido Leadership and Public Service Award celebrates a chief elected official who personifies professionalism and leadership, is an active League member, is dedicated to the citizens in their community, and advocates on their behalf in Lansing and Washington, D.C. The nominating committee is comprised of the League President and Vice President, as well as the Michigan Association of Mayors President and Vice President.

For additional information contact the League’s Matt Bach, assistant director of strategic communications, at (810) 874-1073 and [email protected].