By Carolyn Dryer | Peoria Times
It was, in essence, a feel-good presentation. Mayor Cathy Carlat’s State of the City address was one good news byte after another. In her third or fourth opening statement, she recognized her colleagues on the City Council.
She said, “In a profession where character matters, you are the best of the best.”
In her fourth State of the City address, Carlat acknowledged she was there to share her visions, achievements and challenges. She also boasted that Peoria was a community where neighbors know each other and help one another. During that part of her presentation, a video above her showed film of projects in neighborhoods, where volunteers were actively repairing roofs, scraping and painting exterior walls and raking fresh landscaping rocks across a front yard. In 2018, Carlat said, 687 neighborhood volunteers joined the cause.
