Washington Mayor Willie E. Burns received the prestigious Certificate of Recognition from the Georgia Municipal Training Institute at the annual convention of the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) in Savannah June 27.

The Georgia Municipal Training Institute, a cooperative effort of GMA and the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, provides a nationally recognized series of training opportunities for elected city officials.

To receive a Certificate of Recognition, a city official must complete a minimum of 42 units of credit. The training program consists of a series of 24 six-unit courses.

"This is an outstanding achievement," said GMA Executive Director Jim Higdon. "We commend Mayor Burns for this accomplishment and for the dedication he's shown in using this valuable resource to become a more effective city official."

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, research, training, employee benefit, and technical consulting services to its 500 member cities.