The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) presented former Richardson City Manager Bill Keffler with the prestigious William J. Pitstick Regional Award for Excellence, in recognition of his career-long dedication to regional leadership. The award, presented during NCTCOG’s annual General Assembly at the Hilton Arlington Hotel last Friday, is awarded annually to one outstanding individual in the 16-county North Central region who has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to regional excellence.

In 1992, the North Central Texas Council of Governments established the William J. Pitstick Excellence Award to honor the professional service of Bill Pitstick during his 26 years as NCTCOG’s Executive Director. The award recognizes an individual who has promoted good, strong, representative local government and a spirit of regionalism in solving multi-jurisdictional problems.

“Richardson has always been a community with broad vision,” said Richardson Mayor Bob Townsend. “We have continuously strived to support regional efforts that benefit not just our community, but also benefit our neighbors, our region, the Metroplex and the entire 16 county area served by the North Central Texas Council of Governments. With 20 percent of Pitstick Awards going to Richardson representatives during the past 20 years, this latest recognition continues our reputation as being a leader in regional participation.”

Nominees for the William J. Pitstick Award are judged on their leadership in the:

• Promotion of coordination and cooperation among citizens and local elected officials in a continuing effort to solve regional problems.
• Recognition that jurisdictional boundaries of local governments are not barriers to the solution of such problems.

"Bill Keffler clearly epitomizes the spirit of regionalism in North Texas,” said Linda Koop, president of the NCTCOG executive board and City of Dallas Councilmember. “Although he served as the city manager for Richardson, Bill always brought to the table a broad vision for the region and a desire to grow the area as a whole, not as 16 separate counties. He was a true visionary in his field and is a great example of the ideals embodied by the William J. Pitstick Award.”

Keffler officially retired on May 31, 2012, after an extensive career in city management with the City of Richardson. His service as City Manager began in 1995. Before then, he served as Deputy City Manager (1985-1995); Assistant City Manager (1981-1985); Assistant to the City Manager (1979-1981); and as an Administrative Assistant (1977-1979). His life in public service began after earning an undergraduate degree in government from the University of Notre Dame and a masters degree in public administration from Texas Tech University.

Throughout his tenure, Keffler demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for leadership through his exceptional community and regional collaborations; regional leadership positions and mentoring efforts; and bold urban planning, economic development and community revitalization efforts that served as an example for other North Texas entities.

Keffler is the fourth recipient of the William J. Pitstick Award who has ties to the City of Richardson. The late Bob Hughey, former City Manager, received the award in 1995 and former mayors Ray Noah in 1998 and Gary Slagel in 2003 were also given the honor. Several members of the Richardson City Council have served as President on the NCTCOG Executive Board and include Noah, 1971-72, Gary Skaggs, 1986-87, Slagel, 1994-95 and John Murphy, 2008-2009.