Mayor Gaylor Baird heralds ‘Golden Era’ of Lincoln in Taylor Swift-themed speech
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – During a Taylor Swift-themed State of the City address, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird highlighted the historical “eras” of Lincoln.
That was a reference to Swift’s summer concert tour. The mayor peppered her speech with quotes from Swift songs.
Gaylor Baird touted her achievements over the last year, including successes in transportation and infrastructure, new equipment and trucks for Lincoln Fire & Rescue, updates to police stations and advancements in technology for first responders.
The mayor mentioned the decision to use the Missouri River as the city’s second water source, the opening of the American Job Center, and the plan to rely more on local food systems.
“We have ‘A lot going on at the moment,'” she said in another Swift reference. “And based on all we have accomplished together, we are well-positioned to shape an even more luminous future for our community.”
The mayor also outlined her 13 priorities for the city over the next few years – which she’s dubbed the “Golden Era” of Lincoln.
One of those priorities is $98 million for Lincoln’s roads.
“And that’ll be to both construct new streets and to rehabilitate our existing street network, which is just building on the success.” Gaylor Baird said. “We’ve already invested a historic $211 million in our streets since 2019.”
Her administration also hopes to build more housing around town, including at the location of the old Pershing Auditorium.
It aims to create or renovate 2,000 affordable housing units in the next four years.
Gaylor Baird also announced several big projects for the city.
First was a $550,000 grant for the Co-Responder Program, which allows mental health professionals to respond with police officers to a crisis.
Over the next year, the city will also be opening the first permanent supportive housing for the homeless at Eighth and J streets.
She also announced the building of a new biogas facility that can turn methane gas emitted by the landfill into renewable energy that can be used for vehicle fuel.
Other goals for the future included establishing a downtown music district, improving the look of the main downtown corridors, and building both the South Haymarket Park and Sandhills Global Youth Complex.
The mayor said after generations of success, it’s now time to set the stage for the future.
“Lincoln’s an amazing city, and we are standing on the verge of a new Golden Era,” she said. “I am confident we will achieve these things working together.”
