The winners of the 2006 Georgia Excellence in Public Service Awards have been announced and include a sole county commissioner and mayor from growing communities north of Atlanta, innovative local administrators, and the executive director of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. [Photos]

This is the fourth year for the statewide awards program, which is a public-private partnership between the Vinson Institute and Georgia Trend. Outstanding public service contributions are recognized in five categories of officials (state/regional, county elected, county appointed, city elected, city appointed). Winners are selected from a pool of nominations submitted by other officials or citizens at large.

The 2006 winners are

• State/Regional Official: Paul Burks, executive director, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority

• County Elected: Clarence Brown, sole commissioner, Bartow County

• County Appointed: Nancy Jones, administrator, Wayne County

• City Elected: Cecil Pruett, mayor, City of Canton

• City Appointed: Michael Brown, manager, City of Savannah