Ronald D. Keefe Wins Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys 2012 Steude Award

The Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys has awarded Marquette City Attorney Ronald D. Keefe with the 2012 William L. Steude Ethics and Civility in Local Government Award.

The William L. Steude Award honors individuals for significant and tangible achievement in the field of local government ethics and civility. It is bestowed upon those who have earned the highest level of respect among colleagues.

Keefe has served as the city attorney for Marquette since 2005 and is a certified Voluntary Facilitative Mediator. He is the lead negotiator on all the city's labor union contracts and mediates on behalf of the city in damage cases. He was a key partner in developing the Committee Boot Camp, a voluntary training in ethics and parliamentary procedure for public officials, providing a valuable education resource for the city's 26 boards and commissions. He was also involved in a major revision of the Marquette City Charter and the recodification of the city's Code of Ordinances.

Keefe was nominated for the award by Marquette Mayor John P. Kivela, City Clerk David J. Bleau, and City Manager William E. Vajda. According to these public officials, Keefe's legal expertise, professionalism, integrity, and grace under pressure provided direction and advice to the city of Marquette during a period of great administrative change in 2005. All three praised his handling of legal and public relations issues on the city's behalf during this time.

More information about the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys and the Steude Award can be found at www.mama-online.org.