LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Mayor Mark Stodola began his annual State of the City address on Wednesday touting a year of literal and metaphorical building in Little Rock, before urging Congress, and citizens, to action on a variety of issues.

The completion of the Broadway Bridge and the newly reopened Robinson Center are major accomplishments Stodola said.

“We have a brand new iconic Broadway Bridge with improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities soon to open connecting to our Arkansas River Trail,” he said. “There is a world-class performing arts venue in the Robinson Center with a brand new convention and meeting space overlooking the Arkansas River and a newly renovated Doubletree Hotel.”

In keeping with the building theme, the third term mayor talked of a shored up City foundation.

“We’ve seen millions of dollars invested in infrastructure projects that improve our city that would not have been possible without the support of our citizens who love our city,” he said. “Together, that foundation has been stabilized one penny at a time and we still have half a percent less in local sales tax than virtually all of the cities in Northwest Arkansas and many of our immediately surrounding cities.”

Later in the speech, Stodola moved toward issues before Congress, namely the proposed steep budget cuts and pending e-fairness laws. He encouraged Little Rock residents to make their voices heard when it comes to issues that affect them.

“As a city, we are defined by how we tackle our challenges. By working together as an active and engaged citizenry we can also be defined by our successes,” he said. “Failure should not be an option. Failure cannot be an option.”

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