May 29, 2023 – In the Clovis Veterans Memorial District’s Liberty Ballroom, the seemingly one great meeting place and melting pot of Clovis residents, the City of Clovis held their annual Mayor’s Breakfast.
The Mayor’s Breakfast is a time for gathering in which City of Clovis supporters submit requests to be seated next to each other, during the hours most readily available for breakfast in Clovis, 7 AM-8:30 AM.
This assembly of entities garners attention and style, as city residents, both within Clovis city limits and apart, mingle with city staff.
Possibly most importantly during the Mayor’s Breakfast, is the City of Clovis’ Mayor’s speech, a “State of the City” styled address that is given in rally and accommodation of the City of Clovis.
This year, Mayor Lynne Ashbeck clearly outlined three accomplishments, three worries, and three opportunities or goals for and of the City of Clovis.
The three accomplishments that Mayor Ashbeck mentioned began with the Clovis’ continuance as the “safest in the valley”, a mantra in the lore of Clovis’ police presence.
Mayor Ashbeck then went on to mention her belief that Clovis has the best local economy when compared to other cities in the Valley, and finally finished with investments in civic development amongst the city.
Three worries that Mayor Ashbeck and the City of Clovis believe are facing the present and the near future of the city include first and foremost housing.
Whether it be finding the funding to pay for housing, combining high and low densities in neighborhoods through multi-family versus single family homes, or protecting private sectors and their ventures to pay for housing, the city has plenty of issues in that one worry.
Revenue against increasing expenses in the city was a second worry, as Mayor Ashbeck ventured upon the question, “How much are we willing to pay to keep the services we have?”
Mix these issues with the “political climate that we live in”, Mayor Ashbeck and the City of Clovis believe that state legislation and their regulation overshadowing local interests will become a further worry to attend to in the growing future of Clovis.
Mayor Ashbeck finished her speech with three opportunities that she said are within reach of the City of Clovis. One opportunity is the expanded outreach into lands such as the Northwest Heritage Grove area and the possibility of growing Clovis into a “150,000-200,000” residential area.
A second opportunity for Ashbeck and the City of Clovis relies on Shaw Avenue, an opportunity that Mayor Ashbeck herself questioned the possibility of. “Shaw Avenue is an opportunity. Think about that, we haven’t said those words in 25 years.” Specifically, Ashbeck believes that people’s change in shopping and entertainment options offer “opportunities to reimagine that corridor for years ahead.”
Finally, the third opportunity that awaits Clovis according to Mayor Ashbeck is the culmination and combination of the different classifications of cultures that continue to arrive in Clovis while maintaining the “unique community culture.” Calling it a “spoken and unspoken worry”, Mayor Ashbeck described this culture as a distinct Clovis identity that the city wishes to hold on to as they continue to grow in population.
Mentioning this last point as both an opportunity and a possible worry, Ashbeck clarified, “I don’t mean it as a worry that we can’t do it, I mean it as a worry that it can slip away in small increments we may not even notice until it’s gone.”