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Ottawa City Manager Nienstedt receives Buford Watson, Jr. Award
During their Annual Conference, the Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM) honored Ottawa City Manager Richard Nienstedt as the 2011 recipient of the Buford Watston, Jr. Award. This year's recipient embodies the values that city management professionals across Kansas hold dear. Throughout Richard's career he has developed ways to better serve the citizens in the communities he has worked for by enhancing customer service and organizational responsiveness. He has also served as role model for younger people in the profession.
Richard has never stopped serving the public. His commitment to public service began in the US Air Force, where his desire to make a difference led him to Emporia State University and on to Wichita State University, where he served as a graduate assistant at the Hugo Wall School. Upon graduation from WSU, he served as Management Intern in the Department of Housing and Economic Development for the City of Wichita. From 1980 to 1983 Richard had the unique pleasure of being one of the last professional managers in Kansas to serve as a "shared" City Administrator for two communities at the same time when he served as the Administrator for both Maize and North Newton.
From North Newton and Maize, Richard moved on to Stockton. From Stockton, Richard made the transition to City Manager of Concordia, where he was instrumental in establishing a number of City policies which are still being utilized today.
In 1993, Richard was named City Manager for the City of Fort Scott. On March 11, 2005 a massive fire raged through Fort Scott's historic downtown, in which nine buildings were destroyed. Luckily no one was injured, but from the destruction Richard emerged as a leader. He and his staff, along with the Chamber of Commerce, created the Fort Scott Community Visioning Program. The Committee went to the public, and conducted a survey in which extensive interviews and public meetings were held to identify priorities. Downtown Fort Scott is now enjoying the final stages of a remarkable makeover that began under Richard's leadership.
Richard continues to serve as City Manager, now in Ottawa, Kansas, where he began in 2007. He continues to provide the leadership for which he has been known for over 30 years.
The Buford Watson Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Management was established in 1980. This award is given each year by KACM to a local government manager who has displayed the attributes of the late Buford M. Watson, Jr. (former city manager of Lawrence). Those attributes include serving as a role model in dealing with constituents, valuing customer satisfaction, and encouraging new members of the profession.