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State of the City 2024
"A Bold Day in Westerville"
On March 21, the City hosted its annual State of the City address at the Renaissance Westerville-Polaris Hotel. City Manager Monica Dupee delivered an inspiring speech about Westerville’s future in the face of the rapid development in Central Ohio. Dupee’s core message about the community’s future was “we will not stop being bold,” and focused on responsible, sustainable growth.
“In 12 short months, Westerville and Harlem Township looked at ways to grow reasonably and responsibly, and we found a common goal–controlling our future,” said Dupee. “Last year, I told you the headline was ‘Change Is Happening All Around Us.’ Well, that’s still the headline for Central Ohio, but we’ve created our own headline, and by doing so took historic steps to protect the Westerville that we love for generations to come.”
Dupee closed her speech by sharing insight into the next steps as the City prepares for the proposed merger. Asst. City Manager Jason Bechtold gave praise for the City's remarkable leadership and announced the recipients of the Volunteers of the Year, Larry and Tiffany Jenkins, and the Organization of the Year, Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries. Lastly, City Council Chairman Michael Heyeck ended the evening with the presentation of the Champion Award, the City's highest honor to former City Law Director Bruce E. Bailey. Turn to pages 18-19 to learn about the award recipients.
Visit www.westerville.org/soc to view full remarks from Dupee, Bechtold and Heyeck.
