Mayor Harris argues Duluth is the ‘place to be’ in city address

Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris is set to present the State of the City address Jan. 23. Courtesy City of Duluth

Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris is set to present the State of the City address Jan. 23. Courtesy City of Duluth

In what was easily the most entertaining state of the city address in Gwinnett, Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris shared her reasons why Duluth is the place you want to be during the recent “Be Duluth Show.” Quoting Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be,” Harris noted the importance of Duluth as part of metro Atlanta population growth that is expected to double by 2040.

“If we know we’re growing, shouldn’t we plan our growth? Shouldn’t we plan to grow the way we want to grow?” Harris queried. “We want to attract people here who like good schools, good community, good churches, parks and recs, the arts, cultural events, good dining.”

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Following a parody of Jimmy Fallon’s thank you notes where Harris humorously thanked the city for things like the city’s latest public art installation, $3 million success of the Duluth Fall Festival, and a designated Uber stop in downtown, the mayor and staff went on to talk about current and future planning, development and public safety accomplishments.

Highlights included the redevelopment of aging properties like Proctor Square, the upcoming new library and future parking deck, the Neighborhood Outreach Work (N.O.W) initiative, low crime rate, expansion of the Citizens Academy to include an Hispanic and youth academies, and upcoming automated license plate readers.

View the show: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R41Q2jX_IpI.