Stamping out corruption and regaining public trust are just two of the reasons Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III has been honored by Governing Magazine as one of their  “2015 Public Officials of the Year“.

The Governing profile on County Executive Baker elaborates on his accomplishments:

Equal parts headstrong and charming, Baker has systematically attacked the county’s problems. In five years, he has brought in more than $6 billion in development to a jurisdiction that developers had avoided for years because of shakedowns and pay-to-play politics. Crime has fallen dramatically, thanks largely to a neighborhood initiative the administration launched that focuses on reducing crime in targeted areas. Homicides dropped 40 percent in four years, and violent crime fell 36 percent. Under Baker’s watch, the county has regained the population it lost during the housing crisis, and in the past few years, Prince George’s has drawn more new residents than all but one other jurisdiction in the fast-growing Washington, D.C., area. “He has restored a sense of confidence in government,” says University of Maryland public policy professor David Crocker. “Of all his achievements, that’s the greatest one.”

Baker is in his second term as Prince George’s County Executive and a member of the MACo Board of Directors. He was selected by Governing from among hundreds of nominations across the state and local public sectors who have exhibited outstanding accomplishments and notable positive impacts on their department, agency, community, or state.

For more information on Bakers accomplishments and those of his fellow award recipients, visit Governing Magazine‘s 2015 Public Officials of the Year.