| Distinguished Service Award recipients |
| Year |
Recipient |
Service(s) to Association |
| 1970 |
State Rep. Samuel H. Johnson |
Chairman, Local Government Study Commission, 1967-1970 |
| 1971 |
State Rep. Herschel Harkins |
Charter member, Local Government Study Commission
(Study commission responsible for “historic grant of home rule power in 1969, restoration of local government Sales Tax, 1971) |
| 1972 |
Gov. Robert W. Scott |
Responsible for establishing a Department of Local Affairs; planning regions |
| 1974 |
John L. Sanders, Henry W. Lewis and Joseph S. Ferrell of the Institute of Government |
For their roles in helping the Institute train and assist county government |
| 1975 |
Congressman L.H. Fountain |
Responsible for General Revenue Sharing, Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations |
| 1976 |
State Treasurer Edwin M. Gill |
Responsible for state’s financial standing and financial integrity of counties and cities |
| 1977 |
Former Montgomery County Commissioner R.B. Jordan, Jr. |
For his bringing the NCACC into preeminence in the National Association of Countie sand his continued guidance after his exit from county office |
| 1987 |
State Rep. Vernon James |
Introduced local Option Sales Tax legislation |
| 1991 |
Former Secretary of Human Resources David Flaherty |
Pioneered efforts to involve county officials in Human Services planning and initiatives |
| 1997 |
State Rep. Anne Barnes |
Orange County Commissioner (1978-1981) and state legislator (1981-1996); long time chair of House Education Committee; responsible for county representation in effort resulting in structured sentencing and Criminal Justice Partnership Act and promoting school bond legislation in 1996 |
| 2003 |
State Senator Robert L. (Bob) Martin |
Pitt County Commissioner (1956-1984) and state Senator (1985-2002) and President of the Association (1971-1972); chair of the Appropriation Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources (1989-2002); and advocate for counties in the state budget process |
| 2005 |
State Representative W.C. (Bill) Owens |
NCACC Past President (1991-92) and former Pasquotank County Commissioner (1976-95; as a state Representative has consistently brought the county perspective to the budget process and has advocated for Association positions. |
| 2009 |
David M. Lawrence, William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor of Public Law and Government at UNC School of Government |
Advised and educated thousands of county commissioners, managers, attorneys, finance officers and other county officials on local government finance, open meetings and public records laws and a myriad of issues affecting counties and county officials. |
