Scholarships Open Doors for Municipal Leaders at Small Cities Conference

Attending conference scholarship recipients received their award alongside GeorgiaForward staff members.

The Georgia Municipal Association's 2026 Small Cities Conference was held in the City of Gainesville on May 13-15, garnering almost 200 total attendees from across the state. City leaders arrived eager to attend, network, and take classes tailored for officials from smaller municipalities.

GeorgiaForward, GMA's nonprofit organization, supported prospective attendees through a scholarship, enabling cities to send more members to attend the conference. Seven scholarships were provided this year, including several "surprise scholarships" that were announced during a luncheon on Thursday, May 14. To many municipal leaders, this scholarship was the difference between attending the event and staying home.

"We are under an extreme budget - our budget is being approved. So even something like $150 for me to attend [Small Cities Conference] is critical," said scholarship recipient and Manchester Mayor Mark Trimble.

During the luncheon, GMA Senior Program Manager Chan Weeks noted that the scholarships were a way to ensure small-city leaders could access the same level of training that larger conferences regularly provide. This goal was top of mind for Small Cities Conference staff this year.

"GeorgiaForward has been a great partner in the last couple of years, and those surprise scholarships can mean everything to those local elected officials," said GMA Member Services Consultant Pete Pyrzenski. "It really shows that not only is there money available... they can actually take part in and enjoy things they normally would not be able to."

GeorgiaForward Program Manager Tavari Turner helped present the surprise scholarships during the conference's Thursday luncheon.

Scholarship recipient and Manchester Councilmember Delisha Hodo highlighted the struggles small cities face when seeking up-to-date training.

"Rural, small cities get overlooked a lot. The fact that we have a Small Cities Conference is very impactful and is something I definitely want to be a part of," said Hodo, who was elected in January. "I want to be in a room with other cities similar to me to learn from them. We all have similar issues, similar challenges."

Scholarship recipient and Bowersville Councilmember Dee Schwarzmann explained that the training was vital to her city and its employees this year. Bowersville had faced staffing and auditing challenges in past years, and according to Schwarzmann, councilmembers were learning from these trainings what many in her position would usually learn from prior councilmembers.

"We are a tiny town, about 450 people, and we have been through it," she said. "We just became compliant in 2021, and we're starting to get into the position where we may survive. Coming to these things, it's a huge education, it's very helpful and appreciated."

Small Cities Conference provides training courses specific to smaller municipalities, catering to city officials from rural or sparsely-populated communities.

Schwarzmann added that the scholarship covers the cost of Small Cities Conference's registration, providing relief to the city. "Being in our position, we don't have the money to send folks to classes and things like that - it's absolutely helpful."

Trimble pointed out that some trainings at other conferences catered more towards larger cities, often making the training less usable to someone from a smaller community - whereas at Small Cities Conference, every class is relevant.

"I know the education is going to be designed for smaller cities, for the size of cities that will apply to what I do every day," he said.

Weeks highlighted the resilience and creativity of small-city leaders during the ceremony, summarizing the difficult task each leader faced daily.

"We know that in these small communities, local leadership matters tremendously," said Weeks. "Many of you wear multiple hats, solve challenges creatively, and serve your communities with limited resources, but with tremendous dedication."