Mayor and council members give a farewell to Columbus residents
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Keith Gaskin took the podium one last time as Columbus’ Mayor on June 26.
At a special call meeting of the Mayor and City Council, Gaskin and outgoing members of the council took time to thank the residents of Columbus for their support during their time in office.
Gaskin underscored some of the advances the city made during his time in office, including infrastructure improvements, more than $30 million in grants and appropriations for city projects, and getting city finances back on track, including a $5 million capital fund.
He said the city still needs to capitalize on the area’s economic development success by bringing in more retail and housing opportunities for people who are now working in the county’s growing manufacturing sector.
And he encouraged residents to keep leaders accountable.
“That it’s not great politicians that move cities forward, it’s an active citizenry, and so I encouraged in my speech too, for more people to get out and vote, for more people to get on boards, and hold the elected officials accountable. Because I think we’re just one of the best cities in the state, and we’ve got a lot of potential,” said Gaskin.
The new mayor and city council will be sworn in at 10 am on Monday, June 30, at the Trotter Convention Center. The public is invited to attend.
