Hank Myers recently became the only current Redmond City Council member to earn a Certificate of Municipal Leadership (CML) from the Association of Washington Cities.

He is the first Redmond council member to earn this certificate at least since 2003, Myers told the Reporter in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.

To earn this distinction, Myers completed more than 30 hours of training credits and now he is shooting to earn the advanced certificate, which requires 60 hours of training.

To earn the certificate, Myers traveled all over the state to attend various AWC-sponsored municipal workshops on a myriad of municipal topics from budgeting to land use.

“These are taught by people with a record of success in government,” said Myers, a 35-year Redmond resident. “I’m trying to become the best council member I can be. I’m a firm believer in training and I think this training has been very, very helpful.”

The CML program is designed to enhance the ability of elected municipal officials by providing knowledge and skills to effectively operate within the law, plan for the future, secure and manage funds and foster community and staff relationships. The courses help mayors and councilmembers learn the essentials of municipal service and improve their ability to work with council colleagues, city staff and citizens.

Myers is currently serving his first four-year term on the Redmond City Council and is running unopposed for re-election in November. He chairs the Public Safety Committee and serves on the Public Administration and Finance Committee.

Myers, who has served on advisory boards for Metro Transit and the Bellevue School District, is currently on the executive board for the Redmond-based Together Center, a human services organization.

AWC is a private, non-profit, non-partisan corporation that represents Washington’s cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch and with regulatory agencies.