* The 2021 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director goes to Alicia Tate-Nadeau…

IEMA has had to do a ton of work on COVID and vaccinations, and while IDPH has been more the public face of the response…well, that’s how IEMA would prefer it, and a testament to the fact that they’ve screwed up very little. As a bonus, I thought the response to the tornadoes last week was textbook how state government is supposed to do it.

Dr. Ezike should probably own this award, but Tate-Nadeau received some really strong nominations, including that one.

* The 2021 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Spokesperson goes to Jordan Abudayyeh…

Jordan is a force and beyond that you can count on her to solve just about any problem, not even just a communications one. She works around the clock, always has a cynical joke ready and truly understands the inner workings of everything she deals with on a daily basis. JB is lucky to have her in his corner because I would not want her on the opposite team.

* The 2021 Wordslinger Golden Horseshoe Award for Best CapitolFax.Com Commenter goes to Candy Dogood…

She’s engaging, thought provoking, and always has a little gem to throw in at the end to make you think.

Oswego Willy got a lot of nominations, but he also nominated Candy Dogood, so that tipped the scale.

* The 2021 Golden Horseshoe Award for Lifetime Achievement goes to House Majority Leader Greg Harris..

He’s taking a giant pile of institutional knowledge with him that will take decades to replicate. I’d also consider his leadership during the Speakership transition to be really underrated right now. There was a real threat that the caucus would turn into Lord of the Flies and he stepped up as an honest broker. That remarkable display of leadership capped a lifetime of it.

* Congratulations to everyone who won this year…

Best Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager - House Republicans: Cheri Hermes

Best Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager - House Democrats: Mika Baugher

Best Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager - Senate Democrats: Mavilen Silva

Best Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager - Senate Republicans: Tracy Weiters

Best House Democratic Campaign Staffer: Jon Maxson

Best Senate Democratic Campaign Staffer: Magen Ryan

Best House Republican Campaign Staffer: Ryan Tozer

Best Senate Republican Campaign Staffer: Roxanne Owens

Best Senate Republican Non-Campaign Staffer: Whitney Barnes

Best House Republican Non-Campaign Staffer: Joe Sculley

Best Senate Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer: Mary Hanahan

Best House Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer: Erik Lowder

Best House Democrat: House Speaker Chris Welch

Best House Republican: Rep. Seth Lewis

Best Senate Democrat: Sens. Elgie Sims and Rob Martwick

Best Senate Republican: Sen. Don DeWitte

Best Contract Lobbyist: Bukola Bello

Best In-House Lobbyist: Adrienne Alexander

Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist: Khadine Bennett

Best Legislative Liaison: Laura Vaught

Best Statewide Staffer: HW Devlin

Best State Agency Director: Alicia Tate-Nadeau

Best Spokesperson: Jordan Abudayyeh

Best CapitolFax.com Commenter: Candy Dogood

Lifetime Achievement: House Majority Leader Greg Harris