How to Prepare a Mayor Speech

The mayor, or city council president in some places, gives an annual State of the City speech that highlights his priorities and vision for the year. Mayors also use these speeches to engage with community members and other stakeholders about their plans for the future.

Among the mayors’ most pressing priorities is housing and homelessness. New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed this issue in his 2019 State of the City address, announcing that his administration would expand its “City of Yes for Families” plan by funding 900 new Safe Haven beds and creating a program to connect unhoused expectant mothers with homes.

In recent years, many cities have implemented blight elimination programs to revitalize and strengthen neighborhoods. Similarly, some mayors have also discussed programs to improve high school graduation rates and other school-related outcomes.

Other top concerns include recreational marijuana, which is legal in some cities, and the opioid crisis, which has swept across the nation. Mayors have adopted a variety of approaches to dealing with these issues, ranging from changing zoning codes to filing lawsuits against marijuana regulation.

Preparing a mayor speech involves developing an outline that outlines the sections of your presentation. Depending on the instructor’s requirements, this may be in the form of a title page, specific purpose statement, thesis statement and list of visual aids. Creating a detailed outline helps you to develop an organized and persuasive speech that proves your thesis. Moreover, it allows you to keep track of the main points that you want to include in your presentation.