Zaragoza encourages unity, continued pursuit of growth in State of City

Vestavia Hills Mayor Butch Zaragoaza gave his final State of the City presentation Tuesday at the October Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

As the end of his eight-year term as mayor draws to a close, Zaragoza started by thanking the outgoing city council members John Henley, Steve Ammons and Jim Sharp, as well as George Pierce, who will continue at Place 4. He also thanked City Manager Jeff Downes, and spoke to the support he has received from all the city's staff.

"I don't do it by myself," he said.

The mayor went through several projects the city has been working on or completed in the last year, including developments at Patchwork Farms, Liberty Park, the opening of Sprouts and Chick-fil-A and various other developments throughout the city.

"All these are positive initiatives," he said, but acknowledged, "Anytime you grow, you're going to have bumps in the road."

He said when he took office in 2008, he and the City Council decided to focus their efforts on economic development. In the years since, Zaragoza said reserve funds have grown, there has been a steady increase in commercial building permit requests and the city has had a positive balance at the end of the year.

"And that's just the tip of the iceberg," he said.

The economic growth, he said, directly supports the school system that he calls one of the "jewels" of the city, and said that the city is committed to continued partnership with the school system as things continue to change, such as the addition of the Old Berry Middle School campus.

For the incoming City Council, Zaragoza encouraged a continued movement forward with economic development.

"Make it better," he said.

He also spoke to the one-year anniversary of the new City Hall, the additions that have been made possible in public safety departments and the other quality of life projects the city has been working on. He painted the picture of families having picnics on the City Hall lawn–something he said was impossible at the old building–and said it is a testament to what the city has been moving toward: making Vestavia Hills a place people and families want to stay for the long term.

"We're prospering," he said.

To close, he did have a challenge for both the new council members and all Vestavia residents.

He said that while the "family" and "prosperity" branches of the city's motto have been bolstered, the "unity" aspect has suffered.

In various ways, he said, the community has splintered over the last two years.

"We need to get back to being unified," he said.

He said he thinks a lot of the problem has to do with social media–people posting and sharing about their disagreements and problems without ever having a face-to-face conversation that he argues will better bring about resolution.

"There's a solution at the table," he said, so "if you've got an issue, talk about it."

He urged the new mayor and city council to work to bring the city back together, to unite behind residents, and for residents to unite behind their elected officials.

He also encouraged residents to unite behind the school system and superintendent Sheila Phillips.

"Let's get over and move forward," he said.

Zaragoza's remarks were met with a standing ovation from the Chamber audience, and Chamber president Karen Odle presented him with a card signed by many of the members, as well as a video of his many interactions with businesses around the city.

Zaragoza said he and his wife, Dianne, won't be settling in at home and disappear from the community, and that he is looking forward to the new ways they can serve the city.