Morgan Robertson
Every year the City of Huntsville hosts the State of the City, where they update citizens on important business, foster connections with the public, honor staff, and to celebrate the community. This year, LEAP had a strong presence at State of the City, with Olivia Discon, Cinthia Villarreal, and Jessica Cuevas working for the City. In addition, Michelle, Madison, and I attended to learn more about local government, to support our peers, and to be part of the community.
Kristy Doll, the City Secretary and her wonderful team, Sharon Schultz (Deputy City Secretary) and Summer Davis (Records Specialist) did the event planning, and the venue, lighting, and layout looked great.
The event opened with a posting of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 114, who did a great job.
This was followed by remarks from Sam Masiel, the Assistant City Manager, thanking everyone for attending, and introducing Aron Kulhavy.
The bulk of the evening was the update from the City Manager. Aron updated attendees on the City’s finances, infrastructure projects, new buildings, airport, and expanding the City’s tax base and sales tax revenue.
Key takeaways from his discussion the ongoing challenges with meeting the needs of an aging sewage infrastructure;
…the increased revenue from sales taxes and expanding property base; and the impending opening of City Hall in 2024 (the rendering of the building drew an audible “oooh” from the audience). And, of course, everyone was happy about the recent opening of the MLK Community Center in Emancipation Park.
This State of the City was bittersweet for everyone who’s had the honor to have worked with, or met, Mayor Andy Brauninger. The Mayor’s eight-year term is coming to a close, and he delivered his farewell address to a full room of people who’ve been impacted by his leadership in the city.
He began his address by noting that he is often invited to attend community functions, and during one visit to a local church (Lone Star Missionary Baptist), the Mayor was blessed to hear the voice of Katherine Houston, who describes herself as a “child of the Most High God.” He then ushered Ms. Houston to the front to sing “”My Tribute” and “The Lord’s Prayer.”
The singing was beautiful. Several members of the audience recorded the event, the audience was visibly moved, and at least one person we spoke with indicated she was nearly brought to tears.
Mr. Brauninger, too, was almost moved to tears as he began his speech, with his wife, Marlene, on stage with him. He reflected on his time with the City, praised the many non-profit leaders and community leaders that perennially work to improve the community, and gave a shoutout to several City staff–including “Little Jerry” and “Big Josh.”
The entire experience was educational to LEAP Ambassadors, and it was a pleasure to see so many community members in one place. We enjoyed seeing Derrick Birdsall, from the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and Republic of Texas Presidential Library…
…Dave Smith of the Good Shepherd Mission…
…members of City Council;
…Jeff Murski from Rep. Pete Session’s Office; Diana McRae, the Tax Assessor; and numerous City staff.
On a more personal level, it was also nice to see fellow LEAP members enjoying the event so much. For Cinthia Villarreal, who is interning for Parks and Recreation, it was the first such event with the City, and her smiling face brightened the room.
And Olivia Discon, a sophomore at SHSU and VP of the LEAP Ambassadors, is also working for the City. Part of her role was to assist in the preparation of the PowerPoint for City Manager Aron Kulhavy’s State of the City address.
She has a great eye for detail and is conscientious, and these qualities were reflected in the PowerPoint. All LEAP members have known Olivia for at least a year now, and this was the happiest we’ve seen her. She was truly in her element.
On behalf of the LEAP Ambassadors, it was great to be part of the evening, thanks to the City staff for including us, and thanks to the community members who participated and, of course, the City staff.
On behalf of the Veteran LEAP Ambassadors, we would like to thank Olivia for her great work, and we are very proud to have you on our team.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 