The newly sworn-in Kennesaw mayor, Derek Easterling, gave his first State of the City address January 12, 2016 at a Kennesaw Business Association luncheon in the KSU Center.
Easterling called the address “Building Connections, Creating Value.” Speaking to a packed audience, he made a connection between his future plans for Kennesaw and his time serving as a submariner in the United States Navy. He stated that steering the city is much like steering a submarine in that everyone has to work together to improve the city and keep moving forward in the right direction, even if the destination cannot yet be seen.
“It takes everyone doing their job, everyone participating in our future, in our dreams,” he said. “I need your support. We need your support. The city of Kennesaw deserves your support. And I want to give you every bit of effort that I can to be successful.”
He expressed his desire to focus on four key areas both in his speech and during his time as Kennesaw mayor: maintaining financial stability, growing the economy and encouraging development, ensuring that property values increase and protecting the public safety.
“Doing our jobs in these areas is the foundation of creating value for our community,” Easterling said.
He praised the job growth that Kennesaw has already experienced in the past few years, in addition to the city’s dedication to public safety. He also mentioned his successor, former Kennesaw Mayor Mark Matthews, and the progress that the city made under his leadership. He pointed specifically to Revival on Main as an example of this.
The mixed-use residential and commercial development in downtown Kennesaw, located just a few minutes from Kennesaw State University, was awarded the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative Achievement Award. This award recognizes projects that exemplify a cutting-edge, livable design and enhance the surrounding community.
In regard to KSU students specifically, there are two SPLOST-funded transportation projects designed to improve the flow of traffic around the university.
They include the Cherokee Street Improvement and the Ben King Road Improvement plans. Primarily, these plans will improve roads from Cherokee Street to McCollum Parkway. They will extend the four-lane road from McCollum about a quarter of a mile past Ben King Road to include a center median, realigning Ben King with Twelve Oaks subdivision and putting a multi-use trail on one side of the road and a sidewalk on the other.
Pam Davis, communications director for the city of Kennesaw, says that the city enjoys “tremendous” advantages from the proximity of KSU.
“The university is a huge economic driver for housing and retail in the area,” Davis said. “It is also an important contributor to the labor market, both in terms of students and grads.
“Perhaps most importantly of all, the strength of KSU’s brand due to its size and scope gives broader visibility to Kennesaw in the metro, state, and region.”
Easterling closed his address with an optimistic message. “I look forward to earning your trust and confidence in the days ahead and being part of a winning team.”