National conference honors Mayor Riley with service award

A national mayors' conference awarded Mayor Riley their highest honor, the City of Charleston says.

The United States Conference of Mayors Executive Committee voted unanimously to give their Distinguished Public Service Award to the mayor of Charleston.

Conference President, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, nominated Mayor Riley for the award.

"Mayor Riley has rebuilt Charleston into a national and international destination for tourism, arts, culture, and design," Johnson said in his nomination letter.

"At the national level, he has shared his vision and expertise with over 1,000 mayors through the Mayors' Institute on City Design, which he founded through a partnership between The U.S. Conference of Mayors, American Architectural Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. It is no exaggeration to say that Mayor Riley's work has dramatically improved the physical, cultural and social fabric of cities all across our nation…"

Riley received the award on June 21, according to City of Charleston spokesperson Barbara Vaughn.

Mayor Riley was first elected in December of 1975. He's now serving his tenth and final term.

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