First-term Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton reflected on his first 18 months in office and shared his vision for the future of Smyrna during his inaugural State of the City address Wednesday night.
Norton spoke before a crowd of over 300 people that filled a gymnasium at the Smyrna Community Center. Business leaders, elected officials, Cobb Cobb County tourism officials and other local stakeholders were among those in attendance.
“I think it’s clear we have a great story to tell here in the city of Smyrna and our future is so bright,” Norton said. “Stay tuned for big things to come.”
Norton served four years as the city’s Ward 1 councilman before winning a hotly contested runoff in December 2019 to become Smyrna’s first new mayor in more than three decades. He took his oath in January 2020 and succeeded Max Bacon, who stepped down after serving 34 years in the seat.
Norton was about 50 days into his term when the state registered its first case of COVID-19. He talked about the pandemic environment from his vantage point as a young mayor.
“As we were putting our staff in place, COVID hit in March of last year and everything came to a halt,” he said. “We were faced with decisions that nobody would have ever thought we would have to make.”
The mayor touted Support Smyrna as the city’s greatest achievement coming out of the pandemic. The program allows citizens to buy grocery store gift cards and pay water and sanitation bills for residents most impacted by the pandemic.
Norton said the program has raised over $175,000 in donations and officials plan to expand Support Smyrna by turning it into a nonprofit that helps underprivileged youth, seniors and veterans.
“This is truly a great story of how a community comes together to help others in need,” Norton said.
Norton went on to highlight hazard pay the city gave first responders using money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds; pay raises for public safety workers that ranged between 3.5% and 9%; and a racial trust-building project that city leaders and employees began participating in following the civil unrest of 2020.
Norton also recalled the death of Smyrna policeman Christopher Ewing who was killed in the line of duty in April 2020 when his patrol car was struck by a suspected drunk driver.
The Smyrna Police Department created a DUI task force and beefed up traffic enforcement last May in the wake of the officer’s death.
On the horizon for the city, Norton said plans are underway to bring a performing arts and cultural center to downtown and to build an aquatics center near the Reed House.
One of the biggest development efforts is a $6.7 million redesign planned for the city’s downtown. In his speech, the mayor didn’t directly address the ongoing criticism of the plan by some residents. Instead, Norton continued to champion the plan, which he said will add green space and “energize” the area.
The mayor made mention of Emerson Center, a proposed mixed-use project near the Battery Atlanta that’s led by private developer RASS Associates. The massive $137-million undertaking includes an eight-story Hilton hotel with 188 rooms, a 300-unit apartment complex and more than 37,000 square feet of retail space for restaurants and shops.
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