New Bedford Mayor Still Optimistic About Offshore Wind in State of City Speech

Mayor Jon Mitchell said the presidency has a four-year term but “the runway for climate change is a much longer one,” suggesting future presidents may revive support for the offshore wind industry

Mayor Jon Mitchell said his administration is "rebuilding the port of New Bedford at a blistering pace."
Mayor Jon Mitchell said his administration is “rebuilding the port of New Bedford at a blistering pace.”
City of New Bedford
1 min read
Share
Mayor Jon Mitchell said his administration is "rebuilding the port of New Bedford at a blistering pace."
Mayor Jon Mitchell said his administration is “rebuilding the port of New Bedford at a blistering pace.”
City of New Bedford
New Bedford Mayor Still Optimistic About Offshore Wind in State of City Speech
Copy

In his annual state of the city speech, New Bedford’s longtime mayor Jon Mitchell expressed a strictly positive outlook for the city’s economy, despite the president’s plans to obstruct the offshore wind industry and deport an unprecedented number of undocumented immigrants.

New Bedford’s waterfront includes a pier where offshore wind turbines are assembled and a long row of seafood processing plants, which rely on immigrant labor.

But the mayor’s wide-ranging speech touched only briefly on what he called the “sound and fury” of federal politics. Instead, Mitchell emphasized his administration’s local efforts to “forge ahead” with beautifying streets, expanding port facilities, attracting new businesses, building more housing, improving schools and fighting crime.

Turning to the city’s recent accomplishments, Mitchell called attention to a new publicly owned pier for fishing and offshore wind vessels, renovations of existing fishing piers, and an expansion of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, where Vineyard Wind is marshaling construction for one of America’s first offshore wind farms.

“We are rebuilding the port of New Bedford at a blistering pace,” Mitchell said.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Next hearing in seven-year legal battle set for May 8
With no Plan B in sight, homeowners, tenants, and seniors waited hours to protest a proposed 7.5% levy increase — a move Mayor Smiley says is vital to fund schools but critics fear will displace working families
On a crisp morning at Bradbury Mountain, Park Ranger Jeff Pengel leads a pun-filled journey into the overlooked world of lichens — ancient, resilient organisms quietly shaping our forests and hinting at the impacts of climate change
Saturday’s funeral mass will begin at 10 a.m. local time — 4 a.m. ET
Val Lawson and Frank Ciccone join forces in bid to lead chamber, while Ryan Pearson mounts challenge in high-stakes scramble for votes ahead of potential Tuesday decision
Activists and local officials demand answers after federal agents allegedly used a taser during an apprehension in Dexter Park and transferred the injured man without allowing him to speak to a lawyer
‘It’s a huge loss. I can’t put into words what a huge loss it is’