Memphis mayor delivers State of the City Address with city council chair, vice chair

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - City of Memphis leaders are sharing their vision for the Bluff City’s future Thursday during the 2025 State of the City Address.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young, Council Chair Ford Canale, and Council Vice Chair Jana Swearengen-Washington began delivering remarks shortly after at 5 p.m. at the Temple of Deliverance located at 369 G.E. Patterson Avenue.

Thursday’s event filled with city employees along with some members of Memphis City Council, Shelby County Commission , and current and pass city and county mayors.

“Every decade or so, we see one southern city that become premier,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young. “You see Atlanta, Austin, Nashville...and I think this is our era to rise.”

A major goal for the mayor this year is growing business opportunities for the city.

“Identify investments that are going to really stabilize neighborhoods, looking for those anchors in those communities, those intersections and those places where investments from the city can result in more investment from the private sector,” said Mayor Young.

The mayor highlighted some gains in 2024:

- 82K potholes repaired

-489K participants at community centers

-More than 30 community meetings

-A 13% decrease in overall crime and more.

The city hopes to continue the decrease in overall crime this year, but he also acknowledged there is still work to be done.

He specifically mentioned, a deadly shooting near LeMoyne-Owen College Wednesday that took the lives of two people and left three others seriously injured.

“I wanted to get something off my chest before we really get started into the meeting,” Mayor Young said as he approached the podium.

The mayor said he was in Washington D.C. on Wednesday with a group of young Memphians celebrating mentorship when he received a text from Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis about the shooting in Soulsville that left two people dead and three others fighting for their lives.

“It really hit my heart, cause I think that as we have this speech today, and we want to celebrate our city, we cannot ignore the people that are dying in our community. Two more souls lost to gun violence,” Mayor Young said. “Two more families, sets of friends. Two more people whose legacy is now going to be a warning to other people.”

Mayor Young told the crowd that he reads every shooting report that he receives from city law enforcement.

“When I look at every report, it’s so much interpersonal conflict, it’s not random, it’s not random,” he emphasized. “These are people in the same household, family members, who don’t know how to deal with conflict. And I wanted to just make a plea to you all, to the young people: We gotta put the guns down... we gotta find another way to resolve conflict.”

The mayor also addressing the city’s challenges, including declining population along with troubled transit and education systems. He says the city will be focusing on legal strategies to hold property owners of blighted properties accountable. As well as getting MATA the money needed to hold off layoffs this year.

Mayor Young also says wants Memphis to be the easiest city in the America to do business with. He’s calling on Memphians and their pride for the Bluff City, and is looking to continue gains from 2024 into 2025.

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