Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi has earned a commendation in the 2012 World Mayor Project after being named runner up in the global awards.
Ms Scaffidi was beaten by Iñaki Azkuna, Mayor of Bilbao, Spain.
The award recipients were announced following a nine month public nomination and voting process comprising the fellows of The City Mayors Foundation.
Senior Fellow at City Mayors Tann vom Hove said Ms Scaffidi had succeeded in raising Perth’s international profile while at the same time making local bread-and-butter issues her priority.
“Under Mayor Scaffidi’s leadership, Perth had become Australia’s third city after Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.
Ms Scaffidi today said the recognition was a great "plus" for Perth's status as an emerging international city.
“To have come second in this truly global competition certainly helps increase the awareness of Australia’s western gateway capital," she said.
“The challenge now is to build upon that recognition and strive for even better things for our city in 2013 and beyond.”
Ms Scaffidi also congratulated Mr Azkuna on being the 2012 winner. Mr Azkuna, mayor since 1999, had been instrumental in transforming Bilbao from a declining industrial city into an international centre for tourism and the arts.
“This Spanish city has gone through a miraculous transformation in recent times under his leadership,” Ms Scaffidi said.
Top 10 mayors of World Mayor 2012
1 Iñaki Azkuna, Bilbao, Spain
2 Lisa Scaffidi, Perth, Australia
3 Joko Widodo, Surakarta, Indonesia
4 Régis Labeaume, Québec City, Canada
5 John F Cook, El Paso, USA
6 Park Wan-su, Changwon City, South Korea
7 Len Brown, Auckland, New Zealand
8 Edgardo Pamintuan, Angeles City, Philippines
9 Mouhib Khatir, Zeralda, Algeria
10 Alfonso Sánchez Garza, Matamoros, Mexico
