What You Missed at the State of the City Address for Troy Michigan

Today I attended my first State of the City address for the city of Troy, Michigan. I took notes as "Key Takeaways"that I would share with a colleague or manager who was unable to attend the event. And also as takeaways for my team to consider as we are planning our own "State of" event later this year. So if you missed the event, here's what you missed. Feel free to share this with others and add anything I missed with a comment to this post.


PEOPLE
Mayor Dane Slater gave the remarks for the event. At the end, I went up to him and said that my husband and I were considering moving to Troy someday, and his remarks confirmed our plans. It was my first time hearing him address a large group, and I was really impressed.

Council Member Doug Tietz stopped by the Walsh College table to say hello. Such a great guy. Doug and I were once Toastmasters together and we've kept in contact since. Doug's wife Amy is an alumni of Walsh College where she now teaches as an adjunct faculty. They are a great couple and I'm sure they have the whole world and family-life balance figured out. Whenever I see Doug at an event, I know I'm in the right place. Doug is now the District Director for Congressman Dave Trott.

Troy Rotarian and fellow Troy Chamber member William (Bill) Cowger was at the event along with two full tables of Troy Rotary members. Bill filled me in on some of the goals and focuses of Rotary International, where he has been a member for many years. It's on my "someday" list to be a member. Bill is also a photographer that I highly recommend. Great work, great prices, and excellent service.

There were many others from the city and from around the region.

James Robertson (the Detroit resident who made news due to walking 21 miles a day to work) attended the event and it was announced that he now makes his home in Troy, Michigan. Mayor Dane Slater presented James with a key to the city. It was a heartfelt introduction and you could tell how much the warm city welcome meant to James.


THEMES & VIDEOS
Storytelling. Teamwork. Community collaboration. 

Mayor Dane Slater warmed up the crowd by welcoming multiple audience VIPs, including my group from Walsh College as well as many other community leaders and partners.

Following the introductions, the Mayor played a video which told the story of the City of Troy's strategic planning process. Kudos on the video. It was informative, entertaining, and provided simple explanation with engaging visuals. I don't see the video posted yet, but I'll add it to this blog once I find the link. Video was done by Maggie Hughes, said Mayor Dane Slater.

Several videos in the "Dane and Dave" show series were shown to the group. Hilarious, informative, and entertaining. The videos feature Mayor Dane Slater and Councilman Dave Henderson. Please give this page a like and help them get to 100 fans. https://www.facebook.com/Thedaneanddaveshow. As of the time of this post, they are up to 97 likes (up from 91 earlier today).

There was a huge theme of teamwork and collaboration throughout the event. Posterboards throughout the room celebrated team members with their headshot photos and key accomplishments under their leadership. The poster boards will be available for viewing at the Troy City Hall after the event.

A nice shout out to Walsh College plus numerous other businesses and organizations who make their home in Troy, Michigan. They also showed a picture of the Walsh Troy campus renovation. Both mentions made me and the Walsh table very proud. We have been a part of the Troy community since 1922 and it's great to see such a strong partnership between our institution and the City of Troy.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 
Some key facts about Troy were shared with the group.

• Troy was named the "Safest City in Michigan" again for 2015. Details.
• Troy was named the 7th in the nation as "Best Cities to Live In" by 24/7 Wall St.
• The city is focusing on businesses in Troy on Maple Road in its new series, "15 on Fifteen." Check out the videos on http://15forfifteen.com/. They are rolling the business videos out one-by-one. Clever. So far, there have been features on the new MJR Cinema, Media Genesis, Troy Auto Glass, and a few others. 
• The City is focused on Top 10 Strategies which you can read here. The strategies range from public city to diversity and more. Clear. Focused. 
• The Troy Transit Center's October 14, 2014 ribbon cutting was announced. I've taken the Amtrak train once to Chicago and look forward to my next trip leaving from the Troy Transit facility.
• If you omit Ann Arbor from consideration (which is skewed due to its international student population), Troy is the #1 city for diversity in the state of Michigan.
• The Arab-American & Chaldean Council recently moved to Troy.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Mayor Dane Slater issued one challenge for Troy residents and businesses: help others. 

He suggested numerous organizations including:

• Boys and Girls Club of Troy
• Troy People Concerned
• Troy Historical Society
• Troy Nature Center
• Troy Rotary (seeking new members)
• Troy Kiwanis (seeking new members)
• And many more. 

Also, the City of Troy is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and the Mayor invited all of us to save the date for the Saturday, June 20th celebration.

A great time was had by all. Please spread the word by sharing this post.