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Not sure if you have been keeping tabs on Outside Magazine's "Best Towns 2016", but there's a competition brewing between Jackson, WY (Robert McLaurin, Town Manager) and Billings, MT (Christina Volek, City Administrator). The month long, six-round competition comes to a close on May 28 and after five rounds of voting, the magazine has reached its final two. And we're happy to say that both towns have a city administrator and town manager that are members of ICMA!

The competition began with 64 towns and all have been battling since the end of April in their respective brackets: Beach, River, Mountain, and Culture. Each town was chosen for the competition based on their great access to trails and public lands, thriving restaurants and neighborhoods, and the good bar scene that they offer. What makes this competition even greater is the comments that are left at the bottom of the voting page. You can see the great pride that people have in their communities! 

Congratulations to our members whose communities made the top 64 (listed below), and good luck to Jackson, WY (Robert McLaurin, Town Manager) and Billings, MT (Christina Volek, City Administrator). May the best town win!

Region 1 - Mountain

Jackson, WY - Robert McLaurin, Town Manager

Mammonth Lakes, CA - Daniel Holler, Town Manager

Sedona, AZ - Justin Clifton, City Manager

Marquette, MI - Scott Erbisch, County Administrator

Tucson, AZ

Jim Thorpe, PA

Sun Valley, ID - Susan Robertson, City Administrator

Salt Lake City, UT

Waterbury, VT - William Shepeluk, Municipal Manager

Staunton, VA - Stephen Owen, City Manager

Durango, CO - Joseph Kirby, County Manager

Waynesville, NC - Marcia Onieal, Town Manager

Bishop, CA

Talkeetna, AK

Steamboat Springs, CO - Thomas Sullivan, County Manager/ Casey Earp, Assistant City Manager

Silver City, NM

Region 2 - Culture

Seattle, WA

Imperial Beach, CA - Gary (Andy) Hall, City Manager

Beacon, NY - Anthony Ruggiero, City Administrator

Savannah, GA - Stephanie Cutter, City Manager

Austin, TX - Marc Ott, City Manager

Atlanta, GA

Denver, CO

Chapel Hill, NC

Aspen, CO

Brunswick, ME

Taos, NM - Richard Bellis, Town Manager

Hanalei, HI

Princeton, NJ

Ojai, CA 

Cleveland, OH

Region 3 - Beach

Bolinas, CA

Grand Marais, MI

Duxbury, MA

Los Angeles, CA

Yachats, OR

Pacific Grove, CA - Benjamin Jennings Harvey, City Manager

Islamorada, FL - Maria Aguila, Village Manager

Cape May, NJ

Ludington, MI - John Shay, City Manager

Bayfield, WI - Mark Abeles-Allison, County Administrator

Fairhope, AL

Wilmington, NC - Sterling B Cheatham, City Manager/ Chris Coudriet, County Manager

Ketchikan, AK - Karl Amylon, City Manager

Bellingham, WA

Milwaukee, WI

Region 4 - River

Livingston, MT

Billings, MT - Christina Volek, City Administrator

Leavenworth, MA

Charlotte, NC - Ron Carlee, City Manager

New Orleans, LA - Andrew Copplin, Chief Administrative Officer

Nevada City, CA - Richard Haffey, County Executive Officer/ Mark Prestwich, City Manager

Philipsburg, MT

Boise, ID

Bend, OR - Thomas Lane Anderson, County Administrator/ Eric King, City Manager

St. Louis, MO

Salida, CO

Milford. OH - Michael Doss, City Manager

Gunnison, CO - Matthew Birnie, County Manager

Harper's Ferry, WV

Portland, OR

Sioux Falls, SD