Huntington in Progress: December 23, 2025
End-of-Year 2025 Update
As we close out the year, I want to share a clear look at where Huntington stands and where we are headed.
Our city’s biggest challenges did not appear overnight.
Drugs.
Homelessness.
Flooding.
Population decline.
These problems grew over time. Not because people didn’t care, but because responsibility was fragmented, priorities shifted, and follow-through broke down.
What changed this year was not a slogan or a new program.
What changed was focus.
We defined problems clearly.
We set specific objectives.
We measured progress.
And we stayed on the work, even when it was slow, difficult, or unpopular.
That focus is what made progress possible.
Before diving in, I want to recognize the City Council and our city employees. Their professionalism and persistence made this year’s progress possible.
Making Huntington Safer
From day one, I’ve been clear. We cannot build a thriving city without first making it safe.
First we were honest about the problem: a toxic intersection of drugs and homelessness that strains neighborhoods, burdens public safety, and erodes confidence.
Then we acted.
The Downtown Patrol initiative restored visible order and law enforcement presence downtown. Officers on foot and bikes increased engagement in garages, businesses, and public spaces, supported by a permanent downtown precinct.
Since late June, officers have issued more than 400 citations, made over 100 physical arrests including 19 felony arrests, and made 85 referrals to our Crisis Intervention Team to connect people in crisis with help while criminal behavior is addressed.
The result is clear. Officers are present. They are engaged. And downtown feels different.
At the same time, we changed how Huntington responds to homelessness.
We moved away from fragmented responses and opened The Hub, relocating overnight shelter services out of the downtown business district into a city-owned facility operated by Valley Health. The Hub brings coordinated intake and services under one roof to move people off the streets and toward long-term stability.
We also followed through on a promise I made in my inaugural address.
Through Mission Zero, Huntington is working to eliminate veteran homelessness. On Veterans Day, we announced an important milestone. Every known unhoused veteran has been offered housing, and today every veteran identified receives placement within 30 days.
These are not quick fixes. They are real steps forward.
Investing in Infrastructure That Protects Lives
I’ve said it before, and it remains true: nobody dreams of living in a home that floods every time it rains hard.
Flooding is not solved with a single project. Progress is measured in preparation, risk reduction, and consistency.
On February 6, just over a month into my term, Fourpole Creek flooded. It was an early test.
We leaned into the work. More than nine tons of debris were cleared from the creek. Two long-neglected detention ponds are being restored. A second emergency exit was opened from Enslow Park. We also worked with state partners to deploy an early-warning system that is now in the final stages of installation.
Since February 6, despite a very wet year, Fourpole Creek has not flooded again.
Across Huntington, hundreds of millions of dollars in stormwater and wastewater projects are now underway to modernize systems that were never designed for today’s city.
We broke ground on the wastewater treatment plant expansion, one of the most important infrastructure investments Huntington has ever made. It protects public health and creates the capacity needed for future housing, jobs, and growth.
We did not pretend this could be solved in a year.
But we did not walk away because it was hard.
Growing Opportunity and Prosperity
Huntington’s population has declined over the decades because too many people felt they had to leave to find opportunity.
From the start, we have been clear that our future is closely tied to Marshall University. What you are seeing along Fourth Avenue reflects what is possible when a city and its university work together with shared leadership.
The City does not take credit for that work. But we do have a role.
Housing is one example. Through Live Huntington, we began providing targeted tax relief for contractors building new homes or completing major renovations.
We also restored accountability. This year, the City stepped up enforcement against long-neglected properties, secured dangerous structures, advanced demolitions, began holding bad actors accountable so families are not left carrying the burden, and took steps to increase transparency by allowing residents see how every penny of city money is spent.
We added tools for growth by securing state authorization for a new sales tax district, giving Huntington a way to reinvest in development without raising taxes.
And long-stalled potential is moving again. A $50 million redevelopment between Third and Fifth Avenues along 24th Street is now advancing.
This is not the end of the story.
It is the foundation.
Where We Stand
The drug crisis has not disappeared.
Homelessness has not ended.
Flooding has not vanished.
Population decline did not reverse overnight.
No serious person expected it to.
What changed is this: These problems are now defined. They are owned. And they are being worked, day after day, with focus and discipline.
Public safety, infrastructure, and economic growth will continue to be our priorities, approached with the same focus and follow-through you’ve seen this year.
We said what mattered.
We stayed on it.
And we made progress.
That is how trust is rebuilt.
That is how confidence returns to city government.
And that is how Huntington moves forward.
As we head into the holidays, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. I look forward to our work together in the new year.
