Mayor urges partnerships on city issues
Apr. 6—Mayor John Josendale took an audience of community leaders on a virtual, whirlwind tour in his first state-of-the-city address Thursday morning.
The mayor, who was elected in April of 2022, outlined accomplishments ranging from the Children's Discovery Center in Downtown St. Joseph to new vocational and technical training opportunities at Missouri Western State University. He vowed to take a collaborative approach with the city council and community leaders in addressing a range of lingering city issues, from infrastructure to community appearance.
"You know one of the things we go through at different times is a lot of people talk about things," he said after his address. "But we've got to keep the momentum going. We've got to act on some of these things."
Josendale sees progress on some chronic problems for St. Joseph. Demolition could begin next month on the Downtown hotel, a vacant eyesore that will be replaced with a Courtyard by Marriott. The mayor also sees 2023 as a year of possible movement on a resolution of the Interstate 229 question. He foresees an at-grade roadway with an interchange near St. Joseph Avenue and another near Fourth Street.
"It was being talked about for seven or eight years," Josendale said of Interstate 229. "We've done more in the first year of moving forward and doing things. You know, there was a lot of talk about the Children's Discovery Center. We worked together and came up with a solution. You can't always procrastinate."
Josendale, a former executive at Wire Rope Corporation of America, said he's learning that it sometimes takes longer to get things done in the public sector. He gave a tearful tribute to the late Dick DeShon, a community leader who made it his life's work to move St. Joseph forward, and urged a similar spirit for today's myriad of problems.
"If you put in the dedication, if you put the effort in, we will all be rewarded," Josendale said.
He also promised not to ignore current challenges like homelessness and drug addiction in St. Joseph. Some of his comments Thursday were made at the podium but most came via a prerecorded presentation to the audience at Missouri Western's Fulkerson Center.
"We're all about people," he said. "We couldn't do this without the residents, our businesses, our community partners and our city staff. We can all make a difference."
The event was sponsored by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.
Greg Kozol can be reached at greg.kozol@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowKozol.
