PORTSMOUTH, Va. — In the Portsmouth State of the City address Wednesday, Mayor Shannon Glover focused on the importance of a community that works together to achieve goals across departmental lines.
"It's all about engagement," he said several times throughout.
Glover addressed the rise in violent crime in the city and the area. He said money alone can't fix the problem.
"We must reverse the trend on violent crime, and there is no quick fix," he said.
Glover thanked community partners that have already been helping and asked for other civic, social, and faith-based organizations to help them break the cycle.
In the meantime, Glover said the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods program has been a key tool in making areas safer.
"We did receive a grant last year of almost $500,000 from our Department of Juvenile Justice. We use that to implement some of our programs that are now taking place in the community working collaboratively with the police department."
Mayor Glover said the city added a higher base pay for police officers with the city department. In addition to this effort, city leaders also launched a marketing campaign to recruit more police officers to local law enforcement.
He also spoke about the headway Portsmouth had made economically. Glover said the city had invested $469 million into new economic programs in 2021, and that those programs touched "every reach of our community."
The city gained 850 jobs in 2021.
"Economic opportunity is present in Portsmouth...and we are just getting started," said the mayor during his address.
Offshore wind energy and the Rivers Casino are some new developments coming to Portsmouth. The casino broke ground in late 2021, and Glover said construction was on schedule to finish by early 2023.
He encouraged people to mentor students and push their young loved ones into training programs that would help them find good jobs.
It goes along with the introduction of 300 new jobs with the wind turbine project city leaders are working to develop.
"These jobs are going to be well-paying, skilled labor jobs," said Mayor Glover. "So, we have to get our young people excited and motivated and trained, so they can take advantage of those."
In addition to these developments, he said Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center is planning to open a new hybrid operation room in May that will specialize in heart care.
"Better health is a direct connection to better economic prosperity," he said.
Glover thanked Bon Secours for partnering with the Portsmouth Health Department to get people healthcare during the pandemic, and with police, fire and EMS leaders to develop new programs.
He said Bon Secours invested $14 million in its Maryview location in 2021 to start new clinical programs that would open up care options for people in Portsmouth.
In the address, Glover encouraged people to get involved with their communities, whether that's volunteering with a nonprofit, or donating time or treasure to a group.
"Mentor a young person. Get involved with your civic league," he said.
Here's a video of the full address: