By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
There didn’t seem to be any empty seats at the 2024 State of the Cities featuring both La Marque’s mayor Keith Bell and Texas City’s mayor Dedrick Johnson. The event was hosted by the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce (TCLMCC) at the Doyle Convention Center in Texas City on Wednesday.
The City of La Marque is sunny,” Mayor Bell said. He used sunny as a metaphor for the state of the city, not because the sun always shines, but because, as Mayor Bell shared, a lot of progress has been made toward bringing the city out of some of the dark days of the past and into a sunny future.
Neighboring city, Texas City, is making progress in completing the goals of Community Matters 2030, reported Texas City Mayor Johnson. Community Matters 2030 is a collaborative effort with city staff and residents to identify top priorities for change in Texas City.
Introducing the mayors was Tim Culp, CEO, and president of the TCLMCC.
“We are truly blessed to have two great men leading both of these cities,” Tim Culp said.
Mayor Bell began his address by thanking the many volunteers who serve the city of La Marque. After an applause from the volunteers, Bell acknowledged the paid staff members and their contributions to the city and there was more applause.
His use of sunny to describe the condition of La Marque was backed up with statistics including a decrease in crime.
“The Safe City Initiative is working!” Bell declared, and the attendees indicated they shared his excitement with hearty applause.
One safety measure La Marque has offered is providing senior citizens with ring door cameras. This service was funded through grants and other sources and was part of the Eyes on La Marque initiative.
Not only is crime decreasing, the mayor shared, but also work on infrastructure is increasing as is the budget, while taxes are decreasing, to name just a few of the changes highlighted in his address.
Bell reported that the city has reached a population of 20,0000 and in 2023, 26 new businesses were added to the city. Along with the growth and progress in city operations, La Marque’s library was recognized as being in the top 15% of Texas libraries.
In a confident voice, Bell shared that the city of La Marque is no longer talking about its past. It is now looking at a vision for the future.
“La Marque is able to cast her own vision for the first time in her life!” Bell proclaimed.
Bell looks forward to the day when questions such as where to build a new police station will be a focus of discussion.
Community Matters 2030 was the focus of Texas City Mayor Johnson’s speech. He shared about the newly established citizens’ cadet program which brought out a round of applause from the attendees.
The citizen cadet program partners with Texas City High School to prepare high school students to be ready to hold positions with the local fire department, according to Johnson.
The city has worked on a developing emergency management plan to benefit the residents of Texas City. Hurricane town hall meetings to educate citizens un hurricane preparedness and safety have been happening. Also put in place was an emergency notification system that reaches individuals during an emergency.
Johnson’s substantiation of a rumor spreading around town regarding a new business inspired laughter and applause.
“Texas City is getting a Waffle House!” Johnson announced in a jovial spirit.
Both mayors spoke about the importance of code enforcement and assured attendees that their respective staffs are working to keep up with the complaints coming into city offices. In fact, Johnson proclaimed that 99% of all complaints had been addressed by the city.
Johnson brought his speech to a close with an emphasis on community.
“The State of Community Matters 2030 is a good one. Community is you and I. We will continue to be a municipality that is diverse and fair,” Johnson said.
Just before he left the stage, he reminded everyone, “Texas City is so nice that they called it Texas twice.”
The statement brought out laughter, smiles, and applause among the crowd.
Though the lunch was over, and the speeches were delivered, the attendees lingered a bit to speak with each other, and warm embraces were exchanged between many of those who had come out to listen to the two mayors share their State of the City speeches.
