Anticipation was high for Mayor Fred Eisenberger’s first State of the City address as a second-term Mayor to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber held the event at one of the largest venues downtown, LIUNA Station.
The event sold out, with approximately 350 people paying $50 per ticket for the breakfast event.
The Mayor stood in front of the crowd, told his story of arriving in Hamilton as a immigrant when LIUNA station was the primary rail hub for Hamilton.
His address – which lasted approximately 23 minutes – outlined the City’s 2015 budget initiatives, past Council approved planning changes, the creation of a new Open For Business coordinator, the importance of Light Rail Transit and his planned “citizen’s jury” for reviewing the City’s mass transit plans.
His comments on LRT were clear, much more so than during the 2014 election campaign.
Fruitful Question and Answer Session
Following the speech, the question and answer session moderated by Chamber CEO Keanin Loomis proved fruitful.
Mayor Eisenberger answered questions on provincial funding for LRT, Eisenberger’s vision for the citizen’s jury on transit, what international city does Eisenberger look at as a model for redevelopment of Hamilton’s waterfront, moving CN from the waterfront, the proposed Pier 15 gasification plant, the agricultural sector, and more.
There was definitely a feeling of optimism in the room, which attentively listened to the speech.
When it was over, people continued with their day.