Saint John is as big hearted as it is two fisted, according to Mayor Mel Norton and we're more than a match for the challenges we face.
The Mayor gave a bird's eye view of the hurdles the Port City is encountering, as well as the victories we have already achieved, before a crowd of about 150 at his first State of the City address.
Norton freely admits growing the economy and facing our fiscal woes won't be easy. He cites the pension deficit and our current economic rut as the biggest obstacles to our future success as a municipality.
Norton offered some folksy wisdom as a challenge to his constituents. He'd like the people of Saint John to take an opportunity each day to talk about the ways we're succeeding as a city. It is only, the Mayor says, by changing the coffee shop conversation that we are going to see real progress.