Governing named Ventura, California, City Manager Rick Cole

Governing named Ventura, California, City Manager Rick Cole one of the magazine’s “public officials of the year,” saying he “has excelled in both elected and appointed roles, promoting innovative mixed-use development that reflects community values and public participation.” Among the other eight officials honored by Governing is Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, who is praised for his “cool-headed leadership in the face of Hurricane Katrina.”