City managers from across the state came to Lawrence City Hall on Tuesday night to present City Manager Mike Wildgen with an award recognizing him for excellence in city management.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Wildgen received the Kansas Association of City/County Management’s Buford Watson Jr. Award for Excellence in Management. The award is the top honor given by the state association, and is named for former Lawrence City Manager Buford Watson Jr.

“None of this could have happened without supportive city commissioners and great staff,” said Wildgen, who has been with the city since 1974 and took over as city manager in 1989 following Watson’s death.

The City Hall crowd gave Wildgen a standing ovation and Mayor Boog Highberger thanked Wildgen. “We think your award is right on target,” Highberger said. “We realize we have a good one here.”