La PORTE — La Porte Mayor Blair Milo capped off her annual State of the City address Friday with a rap song about the “Hub of Awesome,” her signature description of the city, and a well-executed dab.
Performing with her were several young musicians from Emerging Sound, a Christian music ministry and retreat at the former Ruth Sabin Home on Michigan Avenue.
Milo, before the address at Best Western Plus, indicated she would “switch things up” this year. The luncheon, sponsored by the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce, drew about 150 people who stood and clapped along with the rap tune.
The mayor used most of the rest of the event to talk about her administration’s accomplishments, focusing on how the city was innovating in response to rapid changes in technology and the pace of life generally. She likened the pace of our daily lives in recent years to a kayak tumbling through rapids.
“Our first instinct is to try to hold ourselves steady to keep from capsizing,” Milo said. “In reality, that’s the worst thing you can do. You have to paddle harder and take control so you can be prepared for what lies ahead. The trick is to be nimble.”
Milo touted innovation in the planning department that won federal funds to spark commercial renovations downtown and an upcoming “gateway and wayfinding” study that will help guide city improvements in the years ahead.
She talked about the city’s role in fostering relationships between the business community and educators at all levels as they prepare a workforce that can compete in an increasingly high-skilled labor market. Student mentoring programs at La Porte companies Jaeger-Unitek Sealing Solutions and American Licorice were vital to ensuring the economic health of the community, she said.
“The more we can build those kinds of relationships, the better,” she said.
Milo even pointed to the return of powerboat racing on Stone Lake as an innovation. She said a small of team of city and community leaders took action after seeing a need to trim costs and make other changes to ensure the widely popular event would continue.
“It’s just another example of how we adapted to change and overcame obstacles,” the mayor said.
The city was using the latest technology in water and wastewater programs “to fix problems before they become bigger problems,” she said, while the engineering and planning departments were working to promote “sustainable infrastructure” and a street paving program that maximizes financial leverage from the state.
Among the latest high-tech equipment acquired by the fire department was a drone, according to Milo, although training was still under way.
“I won it in a drawing,” she said.
The annual Mayor’s Ball was scheduled for Friday night at the La Porte Civic Auditorium. Funds raised at the event will go toward fighting drug addiction in the community, Milo said.