Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fort Smith mayor to give State of the City address
FORT SMITH — Mayor George McGill will deliver his 2020 State of the City address at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
McGill’s address, which will include reports on city business, a review of initiatives that were successful in 2019, and his upcoming plans and vision for this year, will be hosted in the Reynolds Room of UAFS’ Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center.
“The state of the city address is my opportunity to share with residents the role and work of city government,” McGill said. “Transparency is critical because what we do impacts all of our futures. There are matters we must prioritize in city planning today to ensure our growth and success in the future.”
The 2020 State of the City address will be the second of its kind to take place at UAFS, a university news release states. It will be facilitated by the university’s chapter of the American Democracy Project and the UAFS Department
of Political Science.
Williams Yamkam, assistant professor of political science and chair of the UAFS chapter of the American Democracy Project, explained in the release that part of the organization’s mission at the university is to provide students, as well as the public at large, opportunities to interact with public officials in a way that boosts civic engagement and political participation.
“Having our mayor stand before our students and the Fort Smith community to give an account of his leadership over the past year and lay out his vision for the city fits perfectly within our mission,” Yamkam said.
“I am delighted that the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith will host the residents of Fort Smith and the River Valley,” McGill said. “UAFS serves as a venue for public discourse, which is becoming a lost art. UAFS provides a safe environment to exchange ideas and develop solutions, and I encourage our youth and emerging leaders to attend and join me in building a stronger city.”
The address is free and open to the public, the release states. Residents looking for more information can contact McGill’s office or Yamkam at Williams.Yamkam@uafs.edu or (479) 788-7981.