Davenport is strong and getting stronger. That's how Mayor Frank Klipsch summed it up during his annual State of the City address Monday to members of the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce.
He says the city is financially stable, and thanks to its focus on economic development, more investment and jobs mean the tax base is growing. One example is the new Kraft-Heinz plant in north Davenport that will soon replace the old downtown plant.
"The Kraft-Heinz people, Oscar Mayer people, were closing plants around the country because they've been getting more efficient. And they chose this community to build the new one in. There were states and cities all over the country trying to get those jobs. And they chose Davenport because of our solid workforce and a great economic development team."
At first the company announced there would be 500 jobs, but recently raised it to 750.
Mayor Klipsch is also pleased with all the investment and development downtown - companies and people are moving there.
"You see a lot of people walking around downtown. I was down there last Friday night and it was amazing the number of people you saw - they were going to a play, they were having dinner, they were just living downtown. And I think that's extremely important to understand - the vibrancy of downtown adds to the vibrancy of our entire city."
Mayor Klipsch says Davenport is investing in public safety - not just by hiring more police officers, but also working with schools, social service agencies, and other groups to prevent crime from happening in the first place.
