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The longtime executive director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina received the organization’s highest honor awarded to municipal officials for lifetime achievement at the association’s 68th annual meeting in Charleston July 18.

Howard Duvall received the Allison B. Farlow Award for his years of service.

Mayor Fred Cavanaugh, president of the association’s board of directors, presented Duvall the award. The award is named in honor of a Myrtle Beach council member who exhibited exemplary service.

Duvall has been executive director of the statewide organization representing the interests of the state’s 270 cities and towns since 1992. He will retire Oct. 1.

Duvall began his political career in December 1973, when he was elected a Cheraw city councilman. He was the fourth generation to run the Cheraw Hardware store and upon graduation from The Citadel decided to pursue his interest in politics.

Duvall served on council for six years, and then ran for mayor of Cheraw in 1980.

While Duvall was serving in Cheraw, South Carolina municipalities were going through changes with the introduction of the Home Rule Act.

The aim of Home Rule was to give local governments the power to make the decisions that affect their communities. The great push for Home Rule came from counties, which had little control over their own budgets. Previously, state senators wrote the budgets for their counties.

Duvall first became involved in the Municipal Association in 1973, when he attended his first meeting in Columbia.

In 1981, he was appointed to the board of the association to fill out the unexpired term of another member and was later was elected to his own term.

Duvall was named executive director in 1992.

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