BY CAROLINA ALBAN-STOUGHTON
Business leaders, local government officials, Carlsbad City staffers and local residents gathered at the new Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa on August 24th to celebrate one more edition of the State of the City. This signature event organized by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the City of Carlsbad addressed the city’s and the chamber’s current situation, key issues and future goals.
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board, Ahmed Haque, presented the state of the chamber and urged the audience to stay informed on issues that may impact business and to vote during this year’s elections. “We are a strong advocate and voice for business and the role of business in maintaining the high quality of life we have here in the area.”
During his state of the city speech, Mayor Matt Hall focused on working for the future of Carlsbad today with a focus on the youngest residents. “Let’s create the vision of tomorrow,” he said, adding “I would like to call it Carlsbad Vision for 2050. And I would invite all of you to participate in that and let’s create the future, let’s be proactive and not reactive.”
At the end of his presentation Mayor Hall honored, Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Ted Owen, for his 14 years of service, as he prepares for his retirement in January 2019.
As it has become a tradition, the event showcased a video with snapshots of projects the city completed in the past year and what’s in the works for this year. The video was presented through the eyes of Carlsbad teenagers who as the video stated “ are the first generation born after the start of the new millennium.” The video hopes to embrace a new generation of engaged community members who seem to agree in keeping Carlsbad’s small beach time feel but adapted to modern life.
