Mayor Bryan Barnett Receives Paul Harris Award From the Rochester Rotary Club

Recently, at their Tuesday lunch meeting, the Rochester Rotary Club honored fellow Rotarian, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett, by presenting him with a Paul Harris Fellow Award in recognition of his recent inauguration as the 77th President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM).

USCM is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Barnett is one of only six mayors from Michigan to ever become President of the Conference since its inception in 1932. As President, Mayor Barnett is focused on three key priorities for the nation’s cities: Infrastructure, Innovation, and Inclusion. In this role, he will also advocate nationally about the importance of cities and advocate for the priorities of local government.

Mayor Barnett’s administration has received local, national, and international recognition for innovation, fiscal responsibility, operational excellence and environmental leadership. During his tenure, Rochester Hills has been recognized as “One of the Top Places to Live in America” numerous times by sources like CNN and Money Magazine. In addition, Rochester Hills has held the title “Safest City in Michigan” for the past three years. Mayor Barnett is a frequent national speaker on topics including innovative government, long-term sustainability, and economic development and has represented Rochester Hills and Southeast Michigan on multiple international delegations.

A member of the Rotary club since 2006, Mayor Barnett is actively involved in numerous charitable fundraising activities although is probably most notable for serving as of the entertaining Club “Sheriffs.” As a “Sheriff,” Mayor Barnett collects “fines” from club members for infractions such as graduating from Michigan or Michigan State instead of his beloved Oakland University. All “fines” go toward scholarships for local students.

“It’s been a privilege to be part of the Rochester Rotary Club for the past 13 years,” said Mayor Barnett. “My fellow Rotarians are leaders of the Greater Rochester community, representing the best of business, education, and non-profit. I’m proud to work alongside them to serve the Rochester area and I’m truly honored to have received this Paul Harris Award.”

Paul Harris founded Rotary in Chicago in 1905 to help business owners connect with other local professionals. Since then Rotary has grown to over 1 million members around the world. The Paul Harris Fellow Award was established in 1957 to show appreciation for those who make a substantial contribution to the Rotary International Foundation. There is also a strong tradition of honoring individuals with Paul Harris Awards by making contributions in their names.

“We love having Mayor Bryan Barnett in our club. His energy is contagious,” noted Club President Wayne Hodges. “We’re also tremendously proud of what he’s accomplished as Mayor of Rochester Hills and look forward to his continued success as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But no matter where he’s working, he’s a Rotarian through and through, always putting ‘Service Above Self.’”

About Rochester Rotary

Celebrating 65 years as a club in 2019, Rochester Rotary is one of 34,000 member clubs of Rotary International, which has more than 1.2 million members and raises and disburses funds for charitable, educational and scientific purposes. Monies are raised through social events and service projects organized by the club, ‘fines’ collected at Rochester Rotary meetings and gifts offered to the club through members and supporters.

The club welcomes new members who live or work in Rochester, Rochester Hills or Oakland Township. For membership information, contact Jeff Whitbey at Jeff@whitbey.net. Rochester Rotary meets each Tuesday at noon at the River Crest Banquet Hall at Avon Road and Livernois, in Rochester Hills.

About Rotary International

Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and around the globe. The 1.2 million Rotarians who hail from Rotary clubs in nearly every country in the world share a dedication to the ideal of Service Above Self. Rotary clubs are open to people of all cultures and ethnicities and are not affiliated with any political or religious organizations.