For the first time ever, the annual State of the City Luncheon was at its maximum capacity, and had a waiting list.
Hosted by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, this year's event had more than 500 attendees, setting a new attendance record. In previous years, the largest audience was 450 people.
Between the 35 corporations that bought tables and the mix of attendees at the other tables, more than 100 businesses were represented at the luncheon. Since the chamber began tracking the event's attendance in 1996, it has grown from 140 to more than 500 people.
“I think the record turnout shows that people appreciate Carlsbad's quality of life, and they want to hear what is happening in the city now and in the future,” said Ted Owen, president and CEO of the chamber.
The focus of this year's luncheon, which took place Aug. 28 at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, was the city's commitment to economic, environmental and social sustainability. During the event, attendees watched a video featuring Mayor Bud Lewis, the City Council and city staff members.
Highlights of the video included an overview of the city's strategy for managing through the recession.
“The economy is down, people are losing their jobs, we understand this, but folks, we're all in this together,” Lewis said during the video. “Teamwork is what makes Carlsbad a great place to live.”
The video went on to explain what the city is doing to save money, including offering less recreational events next year, mowing less at parks, reducing staff hours, delaying opening new facilities it can't afford to operate and putting publications, like the annual community calendar, online to save on printing and postage costs.
“We're going to survive these lean times and we will be positioned to thrive when the economy turns around in the future,” Councilman Mark Packard said in the video.
Community partnerships, including Envision Carlsbad, local economic stimulus initiatives and new environmental initiatives also were featured. The video mentioned that the city is looking at solar energy projects to see if there is a way to reduce our dependence on electricity and pointed out that volunteers donated 82,000 hours to the city over the last year.
Aside from the video, the highlight of the event was when a community member stood up at the end of the mayor's speech and shouted that his work to push the Carlsbad Desalination Project through will be his legacy. The room erupted in applause and the mayor cried when he received a standing ovation from the entire audience.
Lewis, who has been the mayor since 1986, worked for more than 10 years to get the project approved. Peter MacLaggan, senior vice president of Poseidon Reosurces, the company developing the plant, likened the mayor to the project's biggest champion and referred to him as Bud “build the damn thing” Lewis.
The mayor said it's been a very difficult road, but now that the courts have ruled against all of the legal challenges to the project, there is nothing to do but “build the damn thing,” garnering laughs from the audience.
“The desalination plant really is a safety valve for Carlsbad,” he said during the video. “It will give us 90 percent of our water supply.”
The luncheon was presented by NRG, Carlsbad Energy Center and Poseidon Resources. Additional sponsors included the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, Life Technologies Corp. and Tri-City Medical Center. The video is available for viewing online at www.carlsbadca.gov.
Hosted by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, this year's event had more than 500 attendees, setting a new attendance record. In previous years, the largest audience was 450 people.
Between the 35 corporations that bought tables and the mix of attendees at the other tables, more than 100 businesses were represented at the luncheon. Since the chamber began tracking the event's attendance in 1996, it has grown from 140 to more than 500 people.
“I think the record turnout shows that people appreciate Carlsbad's quality of life, and they want to hear what is happening in the city now and in the future,” said Ted Owen, president and CEO of the chamber.
The focus of this year's luncheon, which took place Aug. 28 at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, was the city's commitment to economic, environmental and social sustainability. During the event, attendees watched a video featuring Mayor Bud Lewis, the City Council and city staff members.
Highlights of the video included an overview of the city's strategy for managing through the recession.
“The economy is down, people are losing their jobs, we understand this, but folks, we're all in this together,” Lewis said during the video. “Teamwork is what makes Carlsbad a great place to live.”
The video went on to explain what the city is doing to save money, including offering less recreational events next year, mowing less at parks, reducing staff hours, delaying opening new facilities it can't afford to operate and putting publications, like the annual community calendar, online to save on printing and postage costs.
“We're going to survive these lean times and we will be positioned to thrive when the economy turns around in the future,” Councilman Mark Packard said in the video.
Community partnerships, including Envision Carlsbad, local economic stimulus initiatives and new environmental initiatives also were featured. The video mentioned that the city is looking at solar energy projects to see if there is a way to reduce our dependence on electricity and pointed out that volunteers donated 82,000 hours to the city over the last year.
Aside from the video, the highlight of the event was when a community member stood up at the end of the mayor's speech and shouted that his work to push the Carlsbad Desalination Project through will be his legacy. The room erupted in applause and the mayor cried when he received a standing ovation from the entire audience.
Lewis, who has been the mayor since 1986, worked for more than 10 years to get the project approved. Peter MacLaggan, senior vice president of Poseidon Reosurces, the company developing the plant, likened the mayor to the project's biggest champion and referred to him as Bud “build the damn thing” Lewis.
The mayor said it's been a very difficult road, but now that the courts have ruled against all of the legal challenges to the project, there is nothing to do but “build the damn thing,” garnering laughs from the audience.
“The desalination plant really is a safety valve for Carlsbad,” he said during the video. “It will give us 90 percent of our water supply.”
The luncheon was presented by NRG, Carlsbad Energy Center and Poseidon Resources. Additional sponsors included the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, Life Technologies Corp. and Tri-City Medical Center. The video is available for viewing online at www.carlsbadca.gov.