Jackson Mayor Daniel J. Mahoney says the city is at what he calls a “reckoning,” during his State of the City address Wednesday night at the Jackson City Center.
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Mahoney told the crowd the moment requires proof that progress is happening across the city. He pointed to what he called the largest housing expansion in decades, including projects like the 100 Homes project, reconstruction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, business and investment in the MLK corridor, aimed at supporting neighborhood businesses and improving equity.
The mayor says public safety trends are improving, with crime down 14 percent, while neighborhood initiatives like the Fix 36 program and a street assessment assistance program continue.
He also highlighted redevelopment efforts, including the sale of the historic Hayes Hotel, where commercial construction is now beginning, and the opening of the City Center and its community kitchen.
Mahoney says youth violence remains unfinished business, noting statistics don’t comfort families who have lost loved ones, and urging the community to focus on what comes next for Jackson.
At times the mayor’s address took the tone of a farewell speech, he directly addressed his daughters several times.
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