Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich had a plateful of issues for Breakfast with the Mayor this morning, from the possibility of an east Biloxi convention center, the governor’s idea to add to the Biloxi waterfront remake, and the idea of Biloxi children attending Biloxi schools.
Also included in the mayor’s 16-minute presentation – “shooting from the hip, he said – were his updates on the Saenger Theater, the pending construction of Community Bank on Howard Avenue, ongoing infrastructure work, the new gate at Keesler, and, of course, the vision and progress on Howard Avenue itself and the Barq Building.
And wait there’s more: An update on the pedestrian overpasses on U.S. 90 as well as notions to upgrade Point Cadet Marina, which could be as much as $20 million.
“Just $20 million,” the mayor said with a chuckle, adding “It’s amazing how somebody will come to me with a little project, and I’ll say there’s not enough zeroes behind it for me to worry about it right now.”
Merit Health, which hosted the Biloxi Chamber gathering in its cafeteria, granted “Dr.” Gilich privileges this morning to demonstrate a da Vinci robot.
And from there, he was off and running.
The array of projects, large and small, was not lost on Gilich, who once said the pace of being mayor was “like drinking water from a fire hose.”
“Everyday is a joy for me,” Gilich said near the end of his presentation. “Somebody said, ‘He’s not running again because it’s too much stress. Stress is getting to him.’
“Well, look,” the mayor said to the audience. “I thrive on stress. I thrive on action. So it’s a great day. It’s like you shoot dice, whether it’s $2 or $2,000. I’m ready to rock ‘n’ roll.”
Video: See Breakfast with the Mayor
City Desk: The mayor expands on the issues
Gallery: See a handful of images from Breakfast with the Mayor
News & notes: City Council, Tree Committee
Council meeting: The Biloxi City Council held its first meeting of the month Tuesday evening at City Hall. The mayor presented a proclamation to Congregation Beth Israel acknowledging the 60th anniversary of its founding in Biloxi, and he proclaiming this weekend as Christmas City Weekend in honor of the huge annual craft show produced by Ron Meyers. To see images from the meeting, click here. To watch a video of the meeting, click here.
Tree Committee: The Tree Committee, which meets on the second Monday of each month at 4 p.m. at the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, 769 Howard Ave., has released its November agenda. To see the agenda, click here. To see more about the Tree Committee, including meeting minutes and past agendas, click here.
