Mayor's Corner: Gene Brown

The biggest issue - or opportunity, I’d call it – facing the city this year is the potential sale and relocation of City Hall and the Police Department. There are a lot of moving parts to this potentiality. A number of sites for a new City Hall have been mentioned; my main concern is to be sure that the new municipal center can be located on a downtown corridor for conveniently located services.

Potential locations already mentioned are on 14th St. W., 9th St. W. and 1st St. W. Early in the year, we will solicit comments and input about the proposed project from residents in each ward. There are also a number of affordable and workforce housing projects underway in the City: The Met on 14th St. W., 920 Manatee in the heart of downtown at Manatee Ave & 10th St. W., The Promenade at Riverwalk, and Riverview6 also downtown.

I am especially pleased with how the recent "Good Morning Bradenton“ show turned out. Produced by WFTS (ABC Tampa Bay) and broadcast live from Pier 22, the show really highlighted what we love about living here - pre-taped segments on the Riverwalk, Village of the Arts, Realize Bradenton, The Bishop Museum of Science & Nature, ArtCenter Manatee and more.

I was one of three live interviews with the show’s host James Tully; others were City Administrator Rob Perry, and the co-owners of Compass Rose History, who lead local historical experiences and who spoke about the resurgence of the Old Manatee neighborhood. Pre-taped segments can be viewed at www.abcactionnews.com/bradenton and the live interviews have been added to the City’s YouTube channel.

Overall, I am very excited about the direction in which our City is heading. Public and private development is thriving, and we are all watching to be sure that the City’s growth will be smart and responsible. I wish you all a happy holidays!