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The Lee County Board of County Commissioners has selected Michel Doherty as the recipient of the Paulette Burton Citizen of the Year Award for 2011. The announcement was made at the Board's Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 meeting.

Michel Doherty is a member of the Cape Coral Civic Association, Fort Myers Women's Community Club, Veteran's Clinic of Cape Coral, Four Mile Cove Ecological Park, founding member of Tiger Bay Club of SWFL, chaired the American Red Cross "Simply Red Gala," Voices for Kids, Lee County Homeless Coalition, Giving Heart for Cancer, Abuse Center for Women, Pace Center for Girls, Downtown River District Art Walks, Boys and Girls Club of SWFL, Hope Hospice Planning Committee, along with various other organizations/ She was most recently named Grande Dame Honoree of 2012. 

The runners up were also acknowledged at the Board meeting. They included Kevin Berry (Cape Coral), Nola Theiss (Sanibel) and Dr. Margaret Banyan (Fort Myers).

The Paulette Burton Citizen of the Year award was created in 1991 in honor of Mrs. Burton, who died tragically in an automobile accident. Mrs. Burton, a long-time Sanibel resident and government watchdog, spent many years serving as a voice of the people to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners as well as playing an active role in Sanibel politics.