| How Do I Address People Who Work for the City but Were Not Elected?
Dear Mr. Hickey:
I will be addressing envelopes to municipal officials and would like to do that correctly. Please tell me how to address the administrator of utilities or engineer for the municipality. Thanks much.
--- Vicki Cassidy
Dear Ms. Cassidy:
Anyone who is appointed or simply hired for their job -- which (I am assuming) includes an engineer or administrator -- is addressed as:
Mr./Ms./Dr./whatever (full name)
(Title of office held)
Address
Only elected officials and judges are addressed as "the Honorable"
-- Robert Hickey
How To Address an Acting County Administrator?
What is the proper form of address in a letter to an Acting County Administrator? It is an appointed (un-elected) position. Also, should the salutation be Dear Madame Administrator, Dear Madame Acting Administrator, Dear Ms. Administrator or what?
-- Beverly Shaw, Russell City, California
Dear Ms. Shaw:
I cover this on page 200 in my book, but here is the quick answer. This appointed official is most formally addressed:
Ms. (Name)
and identified by her position:
Acting County Administrator
Acting officials don't get to use the honorifics of an office ... they are just identified as "the acting." E.g., an acting governor is not addressed as Governor (Name).
I would not use Madame Administrator in any context.
I don't think I've ever encountered a County/City Administrator, County/City Manager, or County/City Board Member who used their office as their honorific. Sometimes a Chairman of a Board or Council is addressed as Chairman (name) in the context of their duties ... but it's more situational -- for clarity -- than official.
And yes ... Commissioners do tend to be addressed as Mr./Madame Commissioner and Commissioner (name).
So, back to your official. On an envelope and address block write:
Ms. (Full Name)
Acting County Administrator
Address
And in the salutation write:
Dear Ms. (surname)
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address the Mayor and City Council?
What is the proper salutation when addressing a Mayor and multiple city council members in the same letter?
Do I write?
Honorable John Smith and Athens City Council Members
OR
Mayor John Smith and Athens City Council Members.
Then as a salutation:
Dear Mayor Smith and Athens City Council Members?
I have to have the letter for signature in the morning, and it's my first day on the job.
-- Thank you, Tonyalee in Athens
Dear Tonyalee:
It would be best to address a letter to actual officials rather than addressing one by name and the others by their office. I'd prefer you address it to the Mayor (by name) and find out the names of the members of the City Council so you could use them.
BUT trying to answer what you've asked with the info you provide .... Here's a nice option
ENVELOPE and ADDRESS BLOCK on the letter
The Honorable John Smith, Mayor of Athens
and Members of the Athens City Council
Athens City Hall
301 College Avenue
Athens, State, ZIP
Note: For symmetry, Athens mentioned in both name/titles
SALUTATION
Dear Mayor Smith and Members of the City Council:
Note: For symmetry, Athens mentioned in neither
-- Robert Hickey Hi Robert,
Well, I finally got the word to send out those letters with the Mayoral and City Council Members salutation. The best part of the story, is that my boss came to me to ask if I was sure I had the proper salutations? And of course, I gave her a very broad smile, and as I printed out your answer, I explained how wonderful you were to reply to my email. Of course she was delighted with me....and you! She took the printout and I assume went to her boss with the backup proof. The letters were sent on Thursday.
Thank you!
Tonyalee
How to Address a City Council Member?
I am sending a letter to each City Councilmen individually not as a group. How do I address Sue Smith, who is a member of the City Council??
-- Kitty Anderson, Jacksonville, Florida
Dear Ms. Anderson:
Anyone in the US who is elected to public office is addressed as the Honorable.
Members of the a city council are usually most formally addressed as Mr./Ms./etc. ... but are frequently addressed as Councilman (name), or in Jacksonville they use Council Member (name).
So a letter would be:
The Honorable Sue Smith
Member, Jacksonville City Council
117 West Duval St., Suite 425
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Salutation would be:
Dear Council Member Smith:
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Retired Police Officer or Fire Fighter?
How would you address a retired county or municipal police officer or fire fighter?
Would you follow the same rules as one would with retired armed services officials since many public safety organizations are para-military and follow a similar rank structure as our armed services?
Would it be proper to use LAPD Captain Robert Esposito, (Retired)
-- ALR
Dear ALR,
If a police officer in the police or fire department wants to continue using his/her rank it's totally at his/her preference.
In speaking to some Police organizations they tell me that sometimes retired officials DO use their ranks in the context of "being a retired officer" (e.g., at a retired officer's meeting) ... and they may use is socially among friends and family.
But if they take another job they DON'T use their rank in a civilian work situation. This is the same as the armed services which prohibit retired personnel from using ranks or ratings at another form of work. You can't have a retired Air Force officer now working for Boeing, selling planes to the Air Force and wanting to be addressed by rank!
And detectives often don't use their rank at any time not wanting to draw attention to their work.
In terms of style, the name would be written on official documents like this
Captain Robert Esposito, LAPD Retired
or
Captain Robert Esposito, LAPD Ret.
These are the forms all the style manuals use for official mail.
Neither "LAPD" nor the "Retired" is noted on social correspondence.
-- Robert Hickey
How to List an Elected Official in a Program?
How does one list the governor or the mayor in a program for an event at which they will be speaking?
-- Susan in Honolulu
Dear Susan:
Use this formula:
1) list by name
2) identify by office
(Program)
Welcome Remarks
The Honorable Linda Lingle, Governor of the State of Hawaii
The Honorable Mufi Hannemann, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu
-- Robert Hickey Robert,
That's good, but I don't think it's necessary to list their offices. Everyone will know who they are. O.K?
-- Susan in Honolulu
Dear Susan:
Those present may know who Linda Lingle and Mufi Hanneman are, but programs also serve as keepsakes and as a record of the event. So often to include / not to include offices, date, year, and location are made with posterity in mind.
I am sending our Annual Report to the Clerks of the City Councils of the surrounding cities. How would I address the envelope and the greeting in the letter?
-- Janine Steele
Dear Ms. Steele:
Usually clerks are appointed. If they are appointed ... then on the envelope they are:
Mr./Ms. (full name)
Clerk of (insert the name of the body here)
(Address)
and the salutation is:
Dear Mr./Ms. (surname):
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Member of a School Board?
When addressing a letter or writing a salutation of a letter, is a member of school board addressed as “The Honorable”?
-- P. Green
Dear P. Green:
School boards -- if elected -- are technically eligible, but whether they do or don’t is by local tradition: Where I grew up in Arlington, Virginia the school boare doesn't use "The Honorable" .... I now live in New York City where they do. Call your school board and find out what's the tradition in your town.
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Letter to The Mayor?
Dear Mr. Hickey:
I need to write a letter to our Mayor. How do I address the envelope? When I met him I called him Mayor Neville, which is what everyone calls him.
--- Renee Montgomery
Dear Ms. Montgomery:
In conversation, either Mr. Mayor or Mayor (surname) is good. Mr. Mayor is the more formal option since using just the title of an office is always the most formal.
Address the envelope line-for-line like this:
The Honorable (full name)
Mayor of (city)
Address
Open the letter with the salutation:
Dear Mr. Mayor:
Or as I mentioned, a slightly less formal option would be:
Dear Mayor (surname):
Close the letter with:
Sincerely,
Renee Montogomery
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address an Envelope to a Mayor and His Wife?
How does one address the envelope of an invitation to the mayor of a city and his wife?
-- Susan Hensley
Dear Ms. Hensley:
You didn't tell me the names ... so depending those ... there are several options.
If she uses "Mrs." and uses the same last name ... then traditionally her first name does not appear:
The Honorable William Stanton
and Mrs. Stanton
(Address)
This is the form the White House would use for a married couple using the same last name. The rule is not to break up "The Honorable" from "(name)"
What you want to avoid is:
The Honorable and Mrs. William Stanton
(Address)
If she uses a different last name, then her first name does appear, e.g.:
The Honorable Alan Greenspan
and Ms. Andrea Mitchell
(Address)
If she has her own rank, courtesy title, or some special honorific, then her first name does appear:
The Honorable William Stanton
and Lieutenant Linda Stanton
(Address)
The Honorable William Stanton
and Dr. Linda Stanton
(Address)
The Honorable William Stanton
and the Reverend Linda Stanton
(Address)
Probably more answer than you wanted ... but I hope that is useful.
-- Robert Hickey
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