Honoring Excellence in County Government: The 2026 H. Sydney Duncombe and Dan Chadwick Civility Award Recipients
1 Oct 2026, by Chase Christensen Share :
The Idaho Association of Counties (IAC) is comprised of individuals whose careers have come to define what public service should look like — not through grand gestures, but through decades of steady, quiet, selfless work that strengthens the institutions Idahoans rely on every day. IAC and its members have the honor of awarding distinguished and deserving recipients each year at IAC’s Annual Conference the H. Sydney Duncombe & Dan G. Chadwick Civility awards. This year we are honored to award and recognize the following individuals:
Glenda Poston – H. Sydney Duncombe Award
Few positions in county government carry the breadth of responsibility that the County Clerk’s office does, and few have carried that responsibility longer, or more capably, than Glenda Poston. Appointed Boundary County Clerk in March 2004 and elected to the position soon after, Glenda has now served more than 22 years in a role that encompasses Clerk of the District Court, County Auditor, Recorder, Chief Elections Officer, and Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners — a statutory workload that would challenge any one person.
Her influence, however, has never stopped at Boundary County’s borders. Glenda served as President of the Idaho Association of Commissioners and Clerks (IACC) from 2010-2011 and President of the Idaho Association of County Clerks and Recorders (IACRC) from 2015 to 2016.
For many years, she represented District 1 on the IAC Board of Directors, and also lent her expertise to the IAC Intergovernmental Affairs and Revenue and Taxation steering committees. Throughout her public service, she has facilitated training sessions for clerks and other officials across the state, sharing her hard-won practical knowledge with the next generation of county leaders. Her commitment to the GemPlan Board of Directors since 2013, where she currently serves as Vice Chair, and her work on the Magistrate Commission, round out a record of service that touches nearly every corner of county government.
Glenda’s impact is perhaps most visible in two major infrastructure projects that will serve Boundary County residents for generations. She served as the county’s primary contact in acquiring a former National Guard Armory and overseeing its conversion into consolidated office space for Probation, the Sheriff’s Office, and Driver’s License services. This project improved county operations by bringing scattered services under one roof creating easier access for constituents. More recently, she played a key leadership role in transforming a former grocery store across from the county courthouse into Boundary County’s new Justice Center, which will provide modern, ADA-accessible courtrooms and significantly expand public access to justice. Both projects required years of planning, financial oversight, and coordination across multiple county offices and departments.
What sets Glenda apart is not simply the list of roles she has held, but the manner in which she has held them. Her tenure has spanned floods, wildfires, a train derailment, economic downturns, sweeping changes in election technology, and twenty-one transitions in elected county leadership. Through every one of those challenges, she has provided the stability and institutional memory that allows county government to function smoothly even amid turnover and crisis. Colleagues across the state describe her as a trusted mentor — someone who has spent as much energy building up the next generation of county officials as she has spent managing her own office. She has, by every account, placed the success of county government above her own recognition, a quality that earned her the H. Sydney Duncombe Award — IAC’s highest honor bestowed for excellence in county government.
Don Hall – Daniel G. Chadwick Civility Award
Don Hall’s story is one of bridge-building between agencies, between generations, and between the city and county governments that often operate in separate spheres. Don’s public service in Twin Falls spans nearly two decades: a City Council member from 2006 to 2017, Mayor of Twin Falls from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2016, and a Twin Falls County Commissioner from 2017 to 2025.
Don has long understood that meaningful progress starts with bringing people to the same table. He was a driving force behind creating shared office space at County West, opening the door for nonprofit organizations to work directly alongside county government in pursuit of shared goals. That same instinct for collaboration shaped his work on behalf of veterans: Don helped unite local veterans’ groups under a single Veterans Council, supported dedicated meeting and office space for them, and helped bring state veterans services on-site — consolidating support that had once been scattered across multiple locations into a single place veterans and their families could turn to.
As one of the key points of contact between the City of Twin Falls and Twin Falls County, Don worked deliberately to improve communication and strengthen the relationship between the city and county. He built genuine connections with fellow elected officials and took time to mentor department heads, operating from a clear understanding that effective public service depends on trust as much as policy. That same long-term thinking shaped his involvement in several major county projects including a new court facility, a jail expansion, a youth court program, and an expansion of juvenile services. Each required years of patient advocacy and planning to bring to completion.
Don’s leadership was again evident, when he helped guide Twin Falls County through a period of profound uncertainty during COVID-19. He also worked to improve pay and retention for county employees, recognizing that the people doing the daily work of county government are the foundation everything else depends on. His influence reached well beyond Twin Falls County as well, through his service on the IAC Legislative Committee, both as a committee member and later as Chair, and his work on the ICRMP Board, roles that allowed him to advocate on behalf of counties statewide.
Across public health, economic development, tourism, parks, health care, crisis services, public policy, and civic organizations, Don has contributed his time and experience to nearly every facet of community life, with a particular focus on youth mentoring, drug prevention, and education. Don Hall embodies the definition of the Dan Chadwick Civility Award with his unwavering spirit of civility, collaboration, and a genuine belief in what a community can accomplish when people work together.