City-Parish President Joey Durel talks up Lafayette and the power of local governments in a recent blog published by The Huffington Post online. "I strongly believe that as state and federal governments grow and become less manageable, people need to look to local government for real solutions and real answers ... Local government is closer to the people, able to be more attentive and respond more quickly." - City-Parish President Joey Durel
City-Parish President Joey Durel served as a guest blogger recently for The Huffington Post online, touting Lafayette's lengthy list of accomplishments and a future that's looking brighter by the day.
In the blog post, Durel cites several factors behind the Hub City's highly publicized success of late, among them the willingness of Lafayette residents to come together for the sake of progress:
Lafayette is a high tech city, leading America into the future, while preserving great green space in its center. We are growing and thriving, and we are working just as hard to preserve our quality of life and our small-town feel. Being the fastest growing major city in the state, we are currently developing a comprehensive plan to set goals for Lafayette 20 years from now. We are optimistic about our future and know we are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few decades. A plan will help us spend those dollars more efficiently.
Local governments cannot wait for state or federal governments to make them great (but keep begging), they have to take control of their own destiny. As a mayor, I am fortunate to live in a very forward thinking community that never takes its eye off of the future. We have a first-class university and people wanting and willing to work together. The president of our university, our superintendent of schools, the community and technical college chancellor, and I have lunch together once a month, just to keep the lines of communication open. We have a community where the government, education, and the private sector work well together for the common good. That is what makes it great to be the mayor of Lafayette; that is what makes me so optimistic about our future!
Read more from Durel here.