Mayor's State of the City: new jobs, 100% green:
Don't you love politicians who make expensive, job destroying promises that sound so ............ warm and friendly!
"Heartwell also pledged in the speech that by 2020, the city will get 100% of its energy for municipal use from renewable or 'green' sources.
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'We are going to survive Michigan's economic tsunami because we have the people,' Heartwell said. 'That's our true wealth.'
But he acknowledged troubles with the Grand Rapids workforce: One in five of the city's adults cannot read. Tests show its children are struggling too.
Better education has been a goal of prior State of the City speeches and now, the mayor is pointing to some progress: higher reading scores for Grand Rapids Public Schools' fourth-graders. Heartwell also referenced a recent study of the city's kids, which concluded those with nothing to do after school cause problems.
'We will have an after-school program in every public school,' the mayor pledged. 'That's my commitment.'"
One of last year's long-term goals was to end homelessness by 2014. After the speech, we pointed out to the mayor that some shelters report seeing more people this year.
"Homelessness is growing in spite of our efforts we've put in place to end homelessness," the mayor acknowledged.
"To build and to unbuild and to rebuild as we dream," the mayor said, concluding his address.
How long before Grand Rapids is "Detroit West"?
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