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City of Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls Delivers 2024 State of the City, Mourns Loss of Gary Knight

KAWC | By Chris McDaniel
Published April 22, 2024 at 5:03 PM MST
City of Yuma Mayor, Doug Nicholls (center) delivered the annual State of the City address during a luncheon April 17th at the Pivot Point Conference Center in Downtown Yuma. He led the speech by remembering the late Councilmember, Gary Knight (second from left), who passed away April 14th. Pictured from left to right are Arturo Morales, Knight, Carol Smith, Nicholls, Ema Lea Shoop, Michael Shelton, and Chris Morris.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF YUMA.
City of Yuma Mayor, Doug Nicholls (center) delivered the annual State of the City address during a luncheon April 17th at the Pivot Point Conference Center in Downtown Yuma. He led the speech by remembering the late Councilmember, Gary Knight (second from left), who passed away April 14th. Pictured from left to right are Arturo Morales, Knight, Carol Smith, Nicholls, Ema Lea Shoop, Michael Shelton, and Chris Morris.

YUMA — During his recent State of the City Address, city of Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls remembered the legacy of city leaders past — including the late Councilmember Gary Knight — while looking towards the future.

He also touted an increase in construction activity within the city limits, including the addition of more than 300 apartment units, and noted a 300 percent increase in new jobs in base industries.

He did note the loss of the Shaw Industries Group, Inc., factory in the North End, and the closure of the Bose speakers plant, but is optimistic about future growth in the city — including a planned spaceport in South County.

Here are excerpts of his speech, edited for brevity.
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Chris McDaniel
Chris McDaniel is a Yuma native and fourth generation graduate of Yuma High School. He began his print journalism career at the Yuma Sun as a reporter in 2009. He later worked in the Pacific Northwest as an editor for Peninsula Daily News, as arts editor for The Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader, and as publisher for a small weekly newspaper in the badlands of Montana. He is a graduate of Peninsula College, where he earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management degree. He has served as host for KAWC's Morning Edition and All Things Considered and spends much of his time gathering reports from the field in Yuma and La Paz Counties.
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