After three years of sitting next to each other outgoing Mayor Karen McCulloh and Mayor Elect Usha Reddi are switching places. The Manhattan City Commission meeting reorganized; electing Reddi as Mayor and Linda Morse as Mayor Pro-Tem.
“To see three women in this process, in our leadership roles. Karen was the first, I’ll be in the middle, and Linda’s gonna be next, and I think that says something for Manhattan. We are a diverse group of people, and we do look at competent people to get elected, ” said Mayor Reddi in her remarks for the upcoming year.
Mayor Elect Reddi and City Manager, Ron Fehr, recognized outgoing Mayor Karen McCulloh for her service as Mayor of Manhattan.
In her outgoing comments, McCulloh thanked the staff for intuitively interpreting the commissions visions. She commended the commission for how well everyone works together, listed past accomplishments as a way to highlight the important improvements made by Manhattan’s local government.
McCulloh expressed concern over heavier burdens placed on property owners as the state legislature continues to cut programs, services, and budgets.
“It’s no secret I’m a liberal Democrat, got elected twice doing that,” McCulloh said. For her full speech, listen to the audio below.
Mayor Reddi’s remarks centered around community engagement. Reddi is encouraging the new generation of leaders to recognize the amount of work, but more importantly the amount of money, involved in making a functional, healthy, and beautiful city.
Reddi also discussed increasing funding for parks, roads, and mental health services. The Manhattan Law Board recently approved the hire of a mental health profession to work across departments for supportive and educative purposes.
“I’m glad we’re going in the right direction. . .but it’s a lot of work,” Reddi commented. For her first full speech as Mayor, listen to the audio below.
Manhattan City Commission also approved the West Anderson Avenue Improvement Project plan by a 5-0 vote.
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