The Georgia Municipal Association honored House Minority Whip Sam Park for his work with cities on local taxes, public safety and housing permitting this term.

State Rep. Sam Park has received a 2026 Champion of Georgia’s Cities Award from the Georgia Municipal Association, the group that lobbies for the state’s cities, in recognition of his support for cities during the 2025-2026 session of the Georgia General Assembly.

The award was presented Monday, Oct. 26, at a Lawrenceville City Council meeting. Noah Roenitz, the association’s state relations manager, handed it over on behalf of GMA.

Why he was honored

GMA gives the award at the end of each two-year legislative term to state lawmakers who, in the association’s words, “have demonstrated strong support for major municipal initiatives and priorities.”

Park is the House Minority Whip, and GMA said that in that role he was “an essential link” between the association and his caucus during the 2025-2026 term. On local taxes, public safety and housing permitting, the association said, he met with GMA staff to talk through how proposals would affect cities, weigh amendments and explain where his caucus stood.

“We greatly appreciate Representative Park’s support for Georgia’s cities and his willingness to work with municipal leaders on issues that directly impact their communities,” said Larry Hanson, GMA’s CEO and executive director. Hanson said Park’s “leadership and commitment to strong local government” made him “a valuable partner to cities across our state.”

Who was there

Lawrenceville’s mayor and council joined Park for the presentation. From left in the photo above are Councilmember Bryant Harris, Councilmember Darion Ward, Park, GMA’s Noah Roenitz, Mayor David Still, Councilmember Victoria Jones and Mayor Pro Tem Randy Travis.

What it means for you

The issues GMA credits Park with working on, local taxes, public safety and housing permitting, are the ones that shape city budgets, police and fire services and how quickly new homes get approved in Gwinnett’s cities, Duluth among them. GMA is a voluntary nonprofit based in Atlanta that provides legislative advocacy, training, employee benefits and consulting services to more than 500 member cities.

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