Latest news with #StateoftheCityAddress
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 new businesses coming to Huber Heights; Neighbors ‘feel good' about continued development
Multiple new businesses will be opening in Huber Heights. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7's Malik Patterson attended the State of the City Address and spoke with community members about the new additions LIVE on News Center 7 at 11:00. TRENDING STORIES: 1 dead, at least 2 others hurt after homemade fireworks cause explosion at Ohio home Invasive stinging insect that could cause death spotted in Ohio Authorities looking for 3-year-old girl believed to be taken by grandmother Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore delivered the State of the City address Monday evening, promising expansion and growth for the community. Gore said the city has plans for a new indoor music center, hotel and Dublin Pub. 'Really, none of this would mean anything if we didn't have the support of the community behind us,' Gore said. Leo Jordan has lived in Huber Heights for 20 years and has watched it develop. 'I feel really good about Huber Heights. And what's happening out there,' Jordan said. 'We're just close to anything you could possibly want. It's right here at your fingertips.' News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor Jeff Schrag delivers first State of the City Address
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield city leaders gathered this morning for the annual State of the City Address, the first for Mayor Jeff Schrag. Mayor Schrag has only been mayor for about 44 days, but he highlighted what he has seen from the city so far including resilience, generosity, and growth. He highlighted the work of the administration before him, including lowering Springfield's poverty rate. In 2015, Springfield's poverty rate was 27.5% and is now 19.4%. He also praised the community for banding together after the April 29th storms, recalling the efforts of utility crews working to get the power back on and neighbors helping clear debris. Mayor Schrag says he is proud Springfield is getting the recognition it deserves as a key metropolitan area in the Midwest, including as the host city for the Route 66 Centennial Kickoff. He said the city is moving forward and he is excited for the future and the support from citizens to continue growing through the recent approval of the ¾ cent sales tax. 'We're in a really unique spot, and not only do we have this opportunity, we now have a funding source for that half cent We can actually do some things,' Mayor Schrag said. 'We now have the opportunity to do that if we're smart, if we're forward driven, and if we listen to what the people have to say.' Mayor Schrag said although Springfield may not be perfect, the city is full of potential. He asked the audience to join him in moving Springfield forward. The City of Springfield will be sharing his full speech here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Dr Snuki Zikalala heads Johannesburg's new 'Bomb Squad' to tackle municipal challenges
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero unveiled the 'Bomb Squad' team aimed at tackling challenges facing the city. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers The City of Johannesburg has roped in several former bosses to serve in its 'Bomb Squad', led by ANC Veterans League president Dr Snuki Zikalala, to help fix the municipality for the next two years. Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero on Thursday announced that Zikalala, a former SABC news executive, would lead the team and be its only member to be remunerated. Three former Joburg city managers Blake Mosley-Lefatola, Mavela Dlamini, and Professor Trevor Fowler, will be joined by the municipality's other erstwhile executives, Gerald Dumas (ex-chief operations officer), former community development executive director Philisiwe Twala-Tau, who is a representative of the SA Local Government Association, and former chief financial officer Reggie Boqo. Also part of the Bomb Squad are Morero's advisor Vicky Shuping, National School Government principal and member of the city's performance audit committee Busani Ngcaweni, economic and social policy researcher Dr Khwezi Mabasa, EFF senior researcher Dr Gumani Tshimomola, and Audrey Mothupi, Systemic Logic Group chief executive. Morero said the Joburg Bomb Squad will be a specialised unit assisting the city to arrest crime and grime, fight lawlessness, unlock service delivery bottlenecks, and accelerate delivery. Among its objectives are to activate rapid response teams in response to reported service delivery hotspots, be the mayor's eyes and ears, activate rapid interventions to address lawlessness, and execute a minimum programme of high-impact visibility. Their work will consist of, but not be limited to, monitoring and fast-tracking of the 10 key points as identified and announced during Morero's State of the City Address last month. These include implementation of a pothole programme, execution of grass cutting, operational traffic lights across the city, elimination of illegal refuse dumps across all communities, fixing of streetlights in townships and on the highways, addressing sewerage spillages in townships and informal settlements, and formalisation of informal settlements. 'The work of the Bomb Squad will be informed by adopting a precinct approach throughout the city. An appropriate implementation will be developed to give expression to it. It will also be necessary for the Bomb Squad to develop appropriate interaction mechanisms with the city's service delivery war room,' Morero said. He added that the work of the Bomb Squad will be led by Zikalala with support from the project management office, leveraging the existing capacity in the municipality's administration. The Bomb Squad's work became operational from this month and its administrative support will be provided through the chief operations officer. According to Morero, there is no budget allocated to the Bomb Squad as it is individuals that have responsibilities in other departments of government or in the private sector and are giving their time and expertise free of charge. However, the city will allocate a budget for Zikalala as it wants him to be on a full-time basis and will be paid a stipend. Morero said three of the Bomb Squad members have financial expertise to help turn around the city's finances, its collection rate, and other financial issues, including expenditure. He also expressed hope that in the next year or so, the city's surplus will be just around R5 billion to indicate a turnaround in its finances and an economy growing by 1% to 3% in the next three years. Zikalala said they were volunteering to ensure that they bring credibility to the city and ensure there are skills and competence. [email protected]
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
City of Joburg mayor Dada Morero insists ‘Bomb Squad' appointment is not a sign of weakness
Joburg mayor Dada Morero has denied that appointing the 'Bomb Squad' to tackle challenges across the city would show that he's failing to address those problems on his own. Image: IOL Graphic City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has denied that appointing the 'Bomb Squad', a team comprising ANC- and EFF-linked members, former city managers, and executives, indicates weakness or a failure to address the city's ongoing challenges. Earlier, IOL News reported that the team was officially announced on Thursday during a media briefing at the Soweto Hotel in Kliptown. Morero said the team will focus on addressing 'crime and grime,' lawlessness, service delivery bottlenecks, and fast-tracking municipal turnaround efforts. He insisted the initiative does not reflect an inability on his part to govern effectively, and blamed the city's decline on previous administrations. 'It's not a thing that is acknowledged in the decline that has happened in the city since 2016, and now we want to arrest and change this,' Morero said. 'In general, the city has resources out there.' Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, led the administration in 2016. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The metro faces multiple challenges, including hijacked buildings, chronic water shortages, rolling blackouts, pothole-riddled roads, broken traffic signals, rampant crime, and municipal corruption. Residents have repeatedly voiced concerns about the city's inability to resolve these issues. Morero first introduced the Bomb Squad during his State of the City Address (SOCA) in May. The team is led by ANC Veterans League president Dr. Snuki Zikalala and includes several figures, such as former city managers Blake Mosley-Lefatole, Mavela Dlamini, and Professor Trevor Fowler. Also joining are Gerald Dumas, a former chief operations officer, and Reggie Boqo, the city's former group chief financial officer. Philisiwe Twala-Tau will represent the South African Local Government Association, focusing on governance. Vicky Shuping, an advisor to the mayor, will coordinate service delivery and urban management. Meanwhile, Busani Ngwani, of the National School of Government and the Group Performance Audit Committee, will work on improving governance. The team also includes Dr. Kwezi Mabasa of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and EFF senior researcher Dr. Gumani Tshimomola, both of whom will contribute to economic development planning. Audrey Mothupi, CEO of Systemic Logic Group, will handle private sector partnerships. Morero said most of the members are volunteering their services and are already employed within Johannesburg or other municipalities. Only Zikalala will receive a salary, he said. 'You are saying we volunteer our money, our time, resources, and expertise to help you turn around,' Morero said. 'We have acknowledged that we've had a stubborn environment in changing our financial status.' He said the city needs at least three financial experts to help turn around its finances, addressing issues such as overspending and budget inefficiencies. 'That is why we believe this team will give the necessary support to the current executives who do accept that, yes, there are inefficiencies,' he told the media. 'I also had a meeting with the executives to introduce the Bomb Squad, which was widely received.' Morero said the mayoral committee supports the initiative and has even proposed additional names. 'They've made other recommendations with the collective ownership of the mayoral committee. It's not a duplication, it's a support mechanism where there are gaps and weaknesses,' he said. He added that while there is no timeline for the 'Bomb Squad,' they hope to see major progress within the next year. He said he aims to leave a financial surplus of R5 billion by June 2026. 'We want to grow the economy of the city by another 1% to 3% in the next five years,' Morero said. 'It requires that those focusing on economic growth help us implement policies to achieve that goal.' He emphasised that the team's mandate is to support, not replace existing city departments and enhance service delivery. 'These are individuals who are not employed by the city but are volunteering to give support and share their expertise,' Morero said. IOL Politics
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
ANC, EFF members join 'Bomb Squad' to help turn things around in Joburg at no pay
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and Dr. Snuki Zikalala announce the new 'Bomb Squad' task team during a media briefing at the Soweto Hotel, Kliptown. Image: Timothy Bernad/African Neww Agency (ANA) ANC-linked members, former city managers, and EFF members have been roped in to form a part of a task team called the 'Bomb Squad,' aimed at tackling the City of Johannesburg's service delivery issues and governance challenges. The team was officially announced on Thursday at the Soweto Hotel in Kliptown by City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero. Addressing the media, Morero said the unit will focus on combating 'crime and grime,' lawlessness, and service delivery bottlenecks, and to fast-track municipal turnaround efforts. 'Business intelligence gathering will be at the core of the Bomb Squad's work,' Morero said. 'This will be executed by holding meetings with relevant authorities to isolate areas vulnerable to land and building invasions and propose proactive interventions.' According to Morero, the team's key objectives include activating rapid response teams in identified service delivery hotspots, acting as the eyes and ears of the executive mayor, and enabling swift interventions to address lawlessness. The initiative comes as the metro is battling with challenges, including hijacked buildings, chronic water shortages, rolling power outages, pothole-riddled roads, broken traffic lights, rampant crime, and widespread municipal corruption. Residents have repeatedly voiced frustration over the city's inability to address these persistent issues. During his State of the City Address in May, Morero first announced the formation of the Bomb Squad, which is to be led by ANC Veterans League president Dr. Snuki Zikalala. He said the team's mandate is to identify key problem areas and support city departments in delivering effective services. The 'Bomb Squad' includes several high-profile figures, including former city managers and executives such as Blake Mosley-Lefatole, Mavela Dlamini, and Professor Trevor Fowler. Gerald Dumas, a former chief operations officer, also joins the team, alongside Reggie Boqo, the city's former group chief finance officer. Philisiwe Twala-Tau will represent SALGA with a focus on enforcing good governance principles, while Vicky Shuping, an advisor to the mayor, will coordinate service delivery and urban management efforts. Principal Busani Ngwani, from the National School of Governance and a member of the Group Performance Audit Committee, will focus on governance improvements. In addition to the team are Dr. Kwezi Mabasa, from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and EFF senior researcher Dr. Gumani Tshimomola, both of whom will contribute to economic development strategies, Morero said. Audrey Mothupi, CEO of Systemic Logic Group, will manage partnerships with the private sector. Morero said most of the team members are already employed in Johannesburg or in other municipalities and are volunteering their services. He told the media that only Zikalala will receive a salary.
