The meeting began at 8:45 PM with ceremonial proceedings including a color guard presentation, the national anthem sung by Peekskill High School students, and an invocation by Pastor Bellery Paul Greenaway. Mayor McKenzie then delivered a comprehensive State of the City address covering 2025 achievements, challenges, and future plans. Following the address, the city council convened briefly to adopt two resolutions and hear public comments. The meeting concluded after remarks from several residents and a representative from the school district.
And I am the city clerk for the City of Peakskill, and I welcome you tonight and thank you so much for joining us for the twenty twenty-six State of the City Address. Please stand for the police honored guard as they enter with the flag of the United States of America. Please remain standing as we we receive the common counsel for the city of Peaksville. Councilman Darren Rigger. Councilwoman Beverly Chang. Councilman Brian Fassett. Councilwoman Kathleen Talbot. Deputy Mayor Patricia Riley. And please continue to remain standing as we receive the city manager, Matt Alexander. And Mayor McKenzie. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. And thank you for attending our State of the City this evening. At this time, I'd ask you to remain standing for our national anthem, which will be sung by the Vocal Forte as they enter. Ladies and gentlemen, those are our finest. Those are our students from Peakskill High School. Thank you. At this time I ask you to remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. At this time, I invite Pastor Ballery Paul Greenaway to bring us the invitation. I would say you may be seated, but the mayor didn't sit us yet. So evening. And so I feel revived. Let us go to the Lord in prayer. Holy, loving, gracious God, who has breathed into all of us the breath of life. And which all of us, every last one, rich or poor, male or female, Republican or Democrat, progressive, conservative, liberal. Whatever defines us or tries to define us. What is most important is that we are image bearers and all of us have sacred worth. All of us make up this democracy, which means we the people. Honest about what we face and hopeful about where we are called to go. God, form in us our moral compass, not shaped by fear, not driven by division, but grounded in truth and guided by wisdom and anchored in love. Teach us to be a people who do not bow to what is less, less than what you have made us, less than what is just, less than what is dignity in all and for all. Less than the fullness of our humanity. Let us be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo. Give us courage to stand in these refining moments without losing our faith. To stand under pressure without losing our integrity, to stand in the urgency of this hour and still reflect your light. God, we pray for this city, for our neighborhoods, for our neighbors, for every street and every home. We pray for our leaders, our mayor, our counts, common council. We pray for those who serve and those, God that you have entrusted in these offices, these high offices that have come and that are administered to govern. Grant them clarity, humility, and courage. Hold them accountable to justice, guide them in truth, strengthen them to lead, not for power, but for common good. And we pray for all who serve this city, for our police officers, our firefighters, our EMTs, protect them as they protect others, for our teachers that shape the minds of our youth and that are shaping our future. And for the nurses and doctors that are healing bodies and carrying burdens for every public servant, every worker, every volunteer, those seen and unseen who give of themselves, so that others might live more abundantly. Strengthen them, sustain them and surround them. God, we pray for the health of our democracy, that it would be uphold held with integrity, guarded by truth, and strengthened by people who are committed to what is right. Teach us to practice love in public for love in public looks like justice. Teach us to engage one another with respect, to speak truth with responsibility, and to listen with humility. Let us not to descend to the levels of harm and hatred.