Mayor Grant Focuses State Of City Address On Moving Forward

CANTON, GA — A positive review of 2020 and hopeful outlook of this year was presented by Mayor Bill Grant in his State of the City Address, delivered virtually on Facebook Feb. 11. Grant’s address was focused on moving Canton forward with purpose and intent, primarily through the guidance of the city’s newly established Roadmap for Success.

Filmed in the Canton Police Department’s virtual production studio, Grant began his address by recognizing the tough year we all faced in 2020, and thanking all who supported the city’s efforts through that time.

"In a normal year, I would be speaking to an auditorium filled with citizens before a council meeting, but we all know 2020 was anything but normal," Grant said. "Last year, I delivered my first State of the City after serving only one month as your new mayor and reported Canton was strong and moving forward. After attending our first council retreat this very week last year, I had great hopes after discussing our goal of creating a new Roadmap for the City in my first year in office. Little did I know we would be dealing with a global pandemic just a few weeks later.

"However, our city’s leaders, employees, and police department responded how they always do ­ – by going above and beyond to protect our citizens, continue to move Canton forward and redefine what it means to be an essential worker. I could not have made it through my first year without the help of each and every one of you, and most importantly, the support of our Canton citizens. Together, we not only survived a challenging year but also managed to thrive as we continue our quest to becoming the 'Coolest Small Town in America'.

Even while responding to the constantly changing dynamics of the pandemic, Grant said the city achieved its goal of creating and adopting its Roadmap for Success at the last council meeting in December.

"This strategic plan will guide how our city grows and develops over the next 15 years, and the input we received from our citizens was invaluable," he said. "Now, the challenging, yet exciting, work of implementing the Roadmap begins as we move Canton forward by adhering to eight guiding tenets."

Those include:

• Creating great neighborhoods
• Celebrating the diversity of our community
• Advancing regional economic success
• Enhancing historic downtown canton
• Sustaining our natural environment
• Connecting citizens to parks and recreation
• Improving infrastructure for future demand
• Leading with excellence

"Our new Roadmap aligns our collective vision for moving Canton forward in a strategic manner that preserves and enhances all of the unique qualities that we cherish about our city," Grant said. "It is a huge achievement, and it would not have been possible without ample public input and the very hard work of our council and staff.

"In the spirit of aligning our initiatives going forward, I have organized our 2020 accomplishments according to the eight tenets in our Roadmap, and I hope you will agree the state of our city is stronger than ever and growing more exciting every day."

Grant listed several accomplishments and what's on the horizon, which can be found online.

"We accomplished a lot, even in a very challenging climate," he said. "More importantly, we have established great momentum for moving Canton forward in a strategic and intentional manner. We still have challenges on the road ahead, but we have a clear vision to guide the collective hopes and dreams of our citizens, businesses, and leaders.

"Make no doubt, our city has big things on its horizon, and I invite every citizen to celebrate our potential. Let us believe in our city like never before. Let us demonstrate how civility overcomes divisiveness of people, place and politics. Let’s work together to make sure every Canton citizen has an opportunity to live their best life right here in our beautiful city, and let’s continue to work together to build the 'coolest small town in America'."