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In State of the City address, Jackson's mayor looks to future development, broadband expansions

 Daniel Mahoney
Courtesy
Daniel Mahoney

In his second State of the City address, Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney touted a record of supporting economic development in the area.

The mayor delivered his remarks at the MLK Recreation Center Wednesday night. He framed the speech as a chance to show Jackson residents what has improved under his administration.

"I've learned in my time of being involved in politics that people don’t care how much you say you care," Mahoney said. "They want to know three things: What did you say you were going to do? What did you do? And what are you going to do now?"

Mahoney pointed out efforts to strengthen public safety, construct new housing and support Jackson’s homeless population. He also celebrated investments in local businesses in the area, including plans for two new grocery stores and a potential redesign of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

He said he wants to make Jackson a welcoming place to all of its current and future residents.

“We look forward to continuing building a city with safe, vibrant, walkable neighborhoods, with a thriving economy, well-maintained infrastructure, where anyone can feel at a home, look to raise a family or retire and where local government exists to serve the citizens of the community,” Mahoney said.

Going forward, the mayor said his future priorities include infrastructure improvements to roads, expanding broadband network access and developing an updated city sustainability plan.

Arjun Thakkar is WKAR's politics and civics reporter.
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