Fort Smith Mayor George McGill will deliver the 2020 State of the City address at
6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith. The address,
which will include reports on city business, a review of initiatives that reached
success in 2019, and McGill鈥檚 upcoming plans and vision for 2020, will be hosted in
the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center at AV抖阴.
鈥淭he State of the City Address is my opportunity to share with residents the role and work of city government. Transparency is critical because what we do impacts all of our futures,鈥� said McGill. 鈥淭here are matters we must prioritize in city planning today to ensure our growth and success in the future.鈥�
The 2020 address will be the second State of the City to take place on the AV抖阴 campus and will be facilitated by the AV抖阴 chapter of the American Democracy Project and the AV抖阴 Department of Political Science.
鈥淧art of the American Democracy Project鈥檚 mission at AV抖阴 is to provide opportunities for our students and the public at large to interact with public officials in a way that boosts civic engagement and political participation,鈥� said Williams Yamkam, assistant professor of political science and chair of the AV抖阴 ADP chapter. Under Yamkam's leadership, the university recently from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, which recognizes colleges and universities committed to increasing college student voting rates. AV抖阴 earned a bronze seal for achieving a student voting rate between 20-29 percent during the 2018 midterm elections.
鈥淗aving our mayor stand before our students and the Fort Smith community to give an account of his leadership over the past year and lay out his vision for the city fits perfectly within our mission.鈥�
鈥淚 am delighted that the AV抖阴 will host the residents of Fort Smith and the River Valley,鈥� added McGill. 鈥淎V抖阴 serves as a venue for public discourse, which is becoming a lost art. AV抖阴 provides a safe environment to exchange ideas and develop solutions, and I encourage our youth and emerging leaders to attend and join me in building a stronger city.鈥�
The State of the City address is free and open to the public. For more information citizens may contact the mayor鈥檚 office or Dr. Yamkam at Williams.Yamkam@uafs.edu or 479-788-7981.