HOWELL — If you live in Howell or anywhere in Livingston County, there’s a good chance Howell’s “2023 Citizen of the Year” may have snapped your photo at some point.
Photographer Richard Lim, who’s also served on several local boards and committees, was granted the title by the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual awards ceremony Thursday, Jan. 25. The chamber also honored others at Chemung Hills Golf Club and Banquet Center.
“They did a great job of keeping it secret,” Lim said Friday.
Keeping it secret required a lie. He photographs the awards each year. Normally he knows who the winner is before they do, so he can make sure to snap extra photos of them.
“I always ask, ‘Who is the winner?” he said. They lied and told him it was city manager Erv Suida.
Lim was “clueless” until previous winner George Moses, who owns county shopping guide The Marketeer, revealed it during the awards ceremony.
Lim has captured graduations, weddings, high school sports, theater and dance performances, and community events. He has helped local organizations by taking photos, including for LACASA, The Howell Opera House, and the Community Theater of Howell, and also photographed high school performances and sports. In years past, he contributed to The Daily as a freelance photojournalist.