Fayetteville Mayor Kenneth Steele was elected Georgia Municipal Association’s (GMA) third vice president during the association’s recent annual meeting in Savannah.

GMA Executive Director Jim Higdon said Steele possesses clear leadership qualities that will take him further with the organization.

Steele was first elected in 1994 and has served on the GMA Board of Directors for the past several years. The Fayetteville mayor previously served as chair of the Municipal Government Policy Committee and as a District 3 officer and has been involved in a number of study committees and task forces.

He has also served on the GMA Legislative Policy Council and is a member of the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association (MAMA).

With the recent election Steele is now in line to become president of the organization in 2010, said Higdon.

“Mayor Steele is well-respected by city officials around the state. We look forward to his continued leadership in this new role,” Higdon said. “Ken began being real active in the organization three or four years ago. Everyone recognized his capabilities. He’s a natural choice to move up the line of succession to serve as president.”

GMA’s first vice president is Kingsland Mayor Kenneth Smith and second vice president is Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd.

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and technical assistance services to its member cities. GMA was created in 1934 is the only state organization that represents municipal governments in Georgia.

GMA’s membership currently totals 502 municipal governments, accounting for more than 99 percent of the state’s municipal population. A 56-member board of directors governs the organization and is composed of city officials. GMA staff includes more than 80 full-time employees.

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