The mayor of a small central Newfoundland town has been named the best mayor in the world.

Dover Mayor Tony Keats was bestowed the World Mayor Community Award for 2023. The announced was made earlier today in London, England.

Known for his hard work and humility, Keats was recognized for his extraordinary service to his hometown and its residence since 1996.

The organization said Keats has shown that mayors from small communities can become role models for civic leaders everywhere.

According to those who know him, Keats’ hometown residents are like family to him and that he’s shown great leadership over three decades.

Keats spent time in Bolivia working on one of many international programs with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He’s also worked to involve more women, youth and entrepreneurs in various national and international events. 

Keats was one of four mayors honoured from the shortlist of 25, announced in July.

The other three were the mayors who won awards by the organization are the mayors of Graz, Austria; Greifswald, Germany; and Quelimane, Mozambique.

According to the organization’s website, the World Mayor Project was established in 2004 to discover, portray and honour exceptional mayors from all parts of the world.

Since 2016, the project has addressed some of the big issues of our time: the refugee crisis (2016); the underrepresentation of women in local government (2018); cities during Covid (2021) and, in 2023, the strengthening of local democracy and human rights, as well as the promotion of friendship between cities at a time when thousands of people are killed in conflicts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.