Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward delivered his first State of the City Address, highlighting the city’s progress toward its strategic goals and his vision for an equitable and inclusive community. Mayor Ward’s priorities include housing and homelessness, parks and recreation, safe streets, sustainability, public safety, utilities, and economic development.
Mayor Ward discussed Gainesville’s priority of creating complete streets and shared the city received $8 million in grant funding from the Biden Administration to transform one of the community’s major roadways. The funding will help slow traffic and build better sidewalks and landscape islands.
“We are moving forward more steadily here in Gainesville because of the quality of our community, the dedication of our partners, and the good ideas and participation of our neighbors,” said Mayor Ward.
In his remarks, Mayor Ward also shared how the city is helping low-income families achieve homeownership, including donating 11 vacant lots to Habitat for Humanity and offering free probate legal assistance. Additionally, he spoke about efforts to become a more sustainable community by passing three new zero-waste ordinances that will help them reach their net zero-community-wide goal.
At a time when our rights, freedoms, and futures are under threat, Democratic Mayors are showing the nation what real leadership looks like.
