Great days ahead, mayor says

Winter Park is on the way to accomplishing great things in 2011, Mayor Ken Bradley said in his annual State of the City Address on Tuesday.

City officials gathered to hear the mayor’s speech at the Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center to conclude the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce’s annual City Commission Luncheon.

“The state of our city is sound,” Bradley said. “The resilience of the citizens of Winter Park is obvious, and better days are certain to come. We are on our way.”

Bradley spoke on the achievements of 2010, as well as programs set to take place in the community in 2011. The year 2010, he said, was a year of great achievement for the city of Winter Park’s parks and utility programs, with the parks receiving national accreditation and the utility overhaul. After all, Bradley joked, “Without parks, we would just be Winter.”

At the luncheon, held on 1/11/11, Bradley addressed “the great power of one” and the significance of the date in relation to his goals for the city in the upcoming year. Task No. 1, he said, is job development.

“The power of one is astronomical,” he said. Whether each citizen loses one pound to be healthier, every one business adds one employee, or all citizens donate $1 to the Winter Park Emergency Utility Assistance Fund to help others in need, every individual has the power to make a difference in 2011.

Commissioners Beth Dillaha and Carolyn Cooper joined the mayor in speaking on the past year’s achievements and future plans.

“The mayor’s speech was inspiring on both a personal and professional level,” Cooper said.

Cooper agreed that the city has accomplished much this year, but job market development will be the city’s biggest challenge of 2011.

Dillaha stressed the important role pension reform will play in the upcoming year and the continuation of the city’s budget.

“He (Bradley) gave a good review of all of the year’s accomplishments; we have done a lot,” she said. “With a hard working Commission, you can accomplish a great deal.”