Mayor Ken Gibson opened his 2020 State of the City with a moment of silence to recognize the murder of George Floyd and reflect on the voices asking for change.
After welcoming the audience, Mayor Gibson spoke to the work that the City has undertaken while dealing with the Covid19 pandemic.
Mayor Gibson spoke about the progress on the Transportation System Plan and the Master Plan in preparation for the UGB expansion and the ongoing process to involve the community in each step. He also focused on including affordable housing and ADUs in the plan.
It was clear that Mayor Gibson is proud of his staff, his council and the community he represents. King City has the highest census response rate in Oregon at 83.8%, they have new parks that draw all ages for sports and leisure, and they have new road projects that the Mayor claims are "award winning"---he did admit, with a chuckle, that the roads are beautiful but he is still looking for the right award to apply for.
Mayor Gibson closed with a message to all leaders -- leadership needs to step up in these difficult times. We need to own the difficult decisions that impact our communities including policing and we need to support all those that are doing a good job in keeping our communities safe.