Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls gave his latest State of the City speech Tuesday.
Nicholls mentioned he is in the last year of his third term as mayor. He’s running for re-election later this year.
He used his speech to highlight city and community development projects.
“We’re a growing community and we’ve got great city employees and leaders who are taking us into the future," Nicholls told KAWC. "We have some challenges but we’re facing those head on.”
Nicholls discussed the Yuma Spaceport as an example of a project that he says will bring jobs and development to the city.
"We're looking for more opportunities for our kids," he said. "We want them to have different career paths to be able to grow and earn higher incomes... Looking at where we can grow the city is listening to constituents - what amenities do they want? What don't they want?"
Mayor Nicholls said it is frustrating that the city rules say that he and council members cannot respond during public comment but that he does listen when residents are vocal whether in support of or against a project or program.
"I appreciate forums, I appreciate even emails where we can have those conversations," Nicholls said.
Nicholls briefly mentioned data centers during his speech to remind the public there is no proposal for a data center coming before him and the council in the near future and that he is listening to the public conversation to educate himself about the topic.
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Stay tuned to KAWC to hear more from Yuma Mayor Nicholls on projects including the Yuma Spaceport and the local discussion on issues including data centers and from a local business leader.
