Predictions for the 2014 State of the City Address

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams’ State of the City Address Friday will emphasize topics of Huntington’s budget, crime, businesses and storm water flooding.

Williams said he would remind council and the public of his vision for Huntington and what has been accomplished thus far during a class visit Feb 6. Williams said he plans to review what has and has not worked in 2013 and what needs improved to have a successful year.

A main topic Williams will discuss is the budget proposal. During his visit to class, he said the budget proposal would be the biggest obstacle he will face this year. Williams said it is hard to propose a budget without knowing what possible troubles may lay ahead. He will discuss his plans for the budget and also talk about the money he has set aside for potential emergencies.

Williams said he plans to talk about the hiring and nonessential spending freeze he has put into place, which will continue into the next fiscal year. He plans to argue that this as a necessary move in order save money and build a cushion into next year. Williams said he plans to assure there will be no backward movement. He said he wants to emphasize the plan for the budget will include stretching the dollar, creating an appealing environment to draw people and businesses in and making Huntington physically more attractive. Even though these plans are taking place, he said he plans to strongly stress he will not raise fees.

Another topic Williams will discuss is the storm water flooding issue. He plans to predict that no one will want to move into or invest in the city if they have to worry about flooding. He plans to discuss his strategy for improving the storm water system and ensure he will make monstrous steps in improving this issue. Williams said he plans to stress the importance of resolving this issue so Huntington can grow commercially and reassure those who deal with the major flooding.

Williams said he plans to address the criticism he has received for those he hired this past year. He said he will argue that because of these hires, the streets are cleaner, the citizens are safer and more people are working.

“Hiring people is the point. People have jobs and Huntington is better off because of this,” Williams said during his visit to class.

In Williams’ previous State of the City Address, he discussed making Huntington a first-class city. He plans to continue to push the public to expect more out of ourselves. He will urge us to lift our level of expectation and no longer allow mediocrity as the norm. He said he would encourage us to not compare ourselves to Charleston, but rather to Louisville and Cincinnati. The quality of life and services need to be comparable to these cities. He said he plans to find a way to prove we can stand toe-to-toe with larger cities.

His partnership with the police department in addressing the crime in this area will be mentioned. He will say that Huntington is the safest city within one hundred miles due to our community-policing model in which officers are assigned a specific area to police.

Williams stated in his visit to class he would reiterate his plans for Huntington’s west end. He will outline his plans for redeveloping the area by a combination of bungalows, small houses and commercial businesses. He will argue that by creating jobs, cleaning up the district and reducing the crime rate, the climate of the west end will change enormously. He said he will admit that this project is not as far along as he wants it to be, but will resubmit a proposal for federal funding to get where he wants to be.

As discussed in his previous State of the City Address, Williams will again address the pothole and paving concerns in Huntington. He will recall the improvements made on this issue and the steps that are continuing to be made. He said he plans to stress that potholes are a result of where we live and the weather we experience. Williams will argue that potholes will continue to occur, but money is spent every year to keep up and the consistency will continue. However, he plans to point out that he wants to pave roads rather than filling potholes because he said he desires a first-class city.

“I want to build boulevards, not fill potholes,” Williams said during his visit to class.

Marshall University will also play a role in his speech because it is the largest employer in the city, as Williams stated during his visit to class. Williams will talk about his relationship with the university and its employees. He will discuss the positive steps in making campus safer such as a lighting program and increased police presence.

Williams said he plans to discuss his desire to expand Coffee with the Mayor at Marshall and argue the benefits of the program. He said he wants to increase his communication and partnership with the university all times of the year, not just during elections.

Expect the State of the City address to paint an image of the future of Huntington. Williams will remind the public and city council of the vision for Huntington and all that has been accomplished the previous year. The speech Friday will lay the foundation to continue what Williams set out to do when he was elected. The speech will encourage us to create a better Huntington and position ourselves on a larger scale. Williams will encourage citizens to think and act big in order to achieve big.