City slickers making the grade isn’t just for the bigwigs in Austin; it happens in New Braunfels too. District 2 Councilmember Christopher Willis and District 4 Councilmember Lawrence Spradley have stepped up their game, earning the Certified Municipal Official designation from the Texas Municipal League Institute (TMLI). They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and when it comes to honing the craft of governance, these two are living proof, being the first from their city to snag the award.
At the good ole Texas Municipal League Conference down in San Marcos on March 15, amidst the who's who of the municipal circuit, Willis and Spradley were handed their honors. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill plaque for show; it’s the fruit of laboring through more than 72 continuing education units (CEU’s) in a single calendar year, and according to the New Braunfels government, the duo did just that during 2023. And don’t forget, two of those hours were dedicated to grasping the intricacies of open government training – a topic as wide and vast as the Texas plains.
Marking their territory as part of an exclusive club, Willis and Spradley were two of only thirty elected officials in Texas to receive this high-flying distinction last year. A tip of the ten-gallon hat is deserved, for the TMLI program ain’t no cakewalk; it's hard-tack learning designed to whip leaders into shape with crash courses on everything from economic development to ethics.
The Texas Municipal League, the brainchild behind the TMLI, is no small-fry operation itself; their ranks boast over 1,170 Texas cities including, New Braunfels. They aren’t just about flashy conferences and pat on the backs, either; their mission is to bolster the know-how of city slickers like Willis and Spradley, so they can wrangle the challenges of city politics with the finesse of a seasoned ranch hand. Head on over to the TML’s website, and you’ll see how they're herding cats and building a better Texas, one educated councilmember at a time.
