Mayor Cathy Clark previewed her State of the City Address at a joint meeting of the city’s five neighborhood associations on Thursday, March 9, at the Keizer Civic Center.
After reports from each of the association, the mayor took to the podium and gave report of the recent past and plans for the city in 2023.
The mayor utilized her catch phrase, “Keizer shows up,” to recount the past few years when the community joined together to face the COVID-19 pandemic and the ice storm in 2021 that brought the city to a standstill.
Clark acknowledged that Keizer is not an island and must coordinate with region governments such as the city of Salem and Marion County, and various organizations.
“Keizer’s voice counts every time we show up in the room,” she said. “We are showing up. So after three years of turbulent we landed our feet. We’re moving ahead into a future that we’re charting together.”
Citing impending retirements of Police Chief John Teague, Cit Recorder Tracy Davis this year, the mayor said “This time period is going to be significant in the evolution of Keizer.”
Addressing Keizer’s ongoing graffiti problem, Mayor Clark echoed what the police department has been saying: take a photo of the graffiti and pertinent information as soon as possible and forward to the police department.
Oregon’s rules on Climate Friendly and Equitable Cities rules was broached—Keizer calls it walkable mixed-use areas. “There’s 400 pages of rules, but we’ve already done with (the) River-Cherry Overlay district which is addressing a lot of areas that we would like to more walkable mixed-use development,” Clark said.
Speaking on the homelessness issue, Clark said, “One of Keizer’s strengths is that we are welcoming, warm community.We are a people that provide transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and group homes.”
Clark will make her official State of the City address at the Keizer Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday, March 14 at the Keizer Civic Center. To attend register online at keizerchambr.com.