Friends,

It's important to me that Little Rock residents stay informed about all the great things we're doing to position our City as a catalyst of the new South. However, we know that sometimes you may not have heard what's going on or have the most up-to-date information. You may hear some piecemeal facts about our projects or priorities through word of mouth, or from social media or news outlets, if you hear about them at all.

Fortunately, though, Little Rock residents have a chance this week to learn directly from me what's happening in city government and hear my vision of Little Rock's future. I'll be presenting my 2023 State of the City address on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School.

In the State of the City speech, I will give you an unfiltered glimpse of everything we've accomplished in the last year, and I'll share our priorities for 2023 and beyond. I'll highlight some specific people and organizations that are working to make life better for our community, and I'll talk about the potential for significant improvements to quality of life and place in Little Rock.

We continue to grow forward as a City, but to keep making progress we must grow forward, together. 

Over the last year, we've seen jobs growth and new housing starts. We also intensified our focus on public safety. During the State of the City, I'll talk about how we must be transformative in how we attract new economic development in Little Rock and how we will implement additional pieces of our comprehensive violence reduction strategy. 

As we grow forward together, I personally invite you to join me for Thursday's speech. It's at Parkview's Performing Arts Center, 2501 John Barrow Road, and it's free and open to the public. 

This is my chance to speak directly to you, the residents of Little Rock. I value and appreciate that opportunity. I hope to see you there! 

If you can't be there in person, the speech will be livestreamed on the City of Little Rock's Facebook and YouTube pages. 

Please be sure to like or follow the City on Facebook and Twitter, and continue reading my weekly updates in order to receive the most up-to-date and accurate information about Little Rock government.

If you aren't already a subscriber to the Mayor's Monday Memo, you can sign up for the weekly emails on our website.

Little Rock Marathon Weekend

Close to 10,000 visitors will be in Little Rock later this week for the 21st Annual Little Rock Marathon. The weekend's events kick off on Friday, March 3, with the Health and Fitness Expo at the Statehouse Convention Center. The 5K and 10K runs and the Little Rockers' Kids Marathon are Saturday. The marathon and half-marathon are Sunday morning.

Runners from around the world come to Little Rock to enjoy our Southern Hospitality and take home our famous, supersized finisher's medals. This year's medals reflect the 2023 Little Rock Marathon theme, "Peace, Love and Little Rock Marathon."

The 5K race is already sold out, but late registration for the other races will be available onsite at the Convention Center during the Health and Fitness Expo later this week.

The Little Rock Marathon generates more than $1.5 million in local spending, while offering runners a spectacular tour of the City along the 26.2-mile course. 

My thanks and appreciation to Little Rock Marathon Executive Director Geneva Lamm, the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department team and the hundreds of volunteers that help make the Little Rock Marathon weekend one of the highlights of every year.

The Week Ahead

-The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. at the Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. The Board on Tuesday will set the agenda for next week's regular board meeting. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock Facebook and YouTube pages. To view the agenda, click here.

-As mentioned in this email, the 2023 State of the City Address is Thursday, March 2, at 6 p.m. at Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Road. It's free and open to the public. 

-A full slate of activities are scheduled for Little Rock Marathon weekend.Click herefor the complete schedule of events.

-The Little Rock Historic District Commission will meet Thursday, March 2, at 4 p.m. at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St.

As always, stay up to date with what's happening in the City on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram via @citylittlerock. You can also email me at [email protected] or call my office at 501.371.4744.

I appreciate you!