LINCOLNTON––David Ramsey was recognized by the Lincolnton City Council at its Thursday regular meeting.

The City’s business services director, Ramsey was extolled by Lincolnton City Manager Ritchie Haynes for his recent participation in and graduation from a municipal and county administration training class. Ramsey was one of many municipal and county workers from across the state to take part in this program with the North Carolina School of Government, which is based out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Haynes noted that this flagship program has graduated some 3,700 students since its inception in the 1950’s.

“You learn not only your own field but also everybody else’s field,” he informed. “It’s like a crash course. I tell everybody it’s like getting your master’s degree in an eight-month crash course.”

Himself a graduate of the same program, which he lauded as a great resource of pertinent and important knowledge, Haynes pointed out that participants meet many other county and municipal counterparts from across North Carolina, and this also helps to facilitate beneficial networking contacts. He added that he still keeps up on a regular basis with many of the colleagues he met through the program.

“David,” said Haynes, turning to Ramsey and presenting him with a certificate, “we appreciate the time you put into it.”

“My mother said it was the wrong shade of blue school to go to,” Ramsey quipped, making light of Chapel Hill’s famous sky-blue school colors and the friendly rivalry with down-the-road Duke University and its navy blue. “But it was still very nice, and I appreciate this.”