RENO, Nev. (AP) - Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve is touting the city’s accomplishments and acknowledging some unanticipated challenges as it approaches its 150th birthday.
Tourism is on the rebound in the aftermath of the Great Recession, investment in the local economy is growing and much-needed new spending on schools is on the way, Schieve said during the mayor’s annual state of the city address Thursday night.
Founded in 1868, Reno is gearing up for a full slate of celebrations surrounding its 150th anniversary.
“Reno’s future is bright,” Schieve said in the hour-long speech at a hangar at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. She said she chose the location to emphasize its importance to the region’s economic health.
The airport has added 14 new flights over the last 18 months and now brings 3.6 million people to the city every year with an economic impact of more than $2 billion, Schieve said. She said the nearly 4.9 million visitors to the city overall last year were the most since 2007.
Schieve congratulated the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada for helping bring 1,600 new jobs and 27 new companies to the area in 2016. She says a record 9.6 million square feet of industrial spaces was leased in the Reno-Sparks area last year.
She also announced the e-commerce company Zazzle plans to open a new a distribution and manufacturing center in Reno that will bring another 250 jobs to the city.
Schieve said the $700 million bond measure Washoe County voters approved in November to build new schools was desperately needed to address the continued growth anticipated in the coming years. She also highlighted efforts to combat blight downtown and praised Eldorado Resorts plans to invest $50 million in its three downtown casinos
In keeping with her aviation theme, Schieve acknowledged city hall has run into some recent “turbulence.”
She was referring to the search for a new city manager after the city council voted in September to terminate City Manager Andrew Clinger amid an expensive sexual harassment investigation spurred by the claims of three female city workers.
The investigation did not substantiate sexual harassment, but found a hostile work environment described as a “toxic cesspool.”
Schieve vowed to bring “new, vibrant leadership” to the city and “a new culture to lift Reno up for years.”
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