Mayor Eddie Melton delivered his second State of the City address April 29, using the milestone to highlight the city’s progress as it continues rebuilding.

The address, delivered at Embassies of Christ Church, comes nearly 18 months since he took office and offered a shift from campaign promises to a review of the administration’s accomplishments so far.

“In last year’s State of the City address, we talked about what we must do to stabilize the city and restore security for our city’s most basic needs,” Melton said. “This year, we must continue to execute on the array of solutions that are going to help grow the city.” 

Melton’s address was largely built around a presentation highlighting many of the administration’s victories, from paying off old city debts to overseeing a 17% increase in property tax revenue.  

But he surprised the crowd with a major announcement toward the end of his speech. He revealed that FedEx will build a 317,000-square-foot warehousing and distribution facility in Gary, investing more than $60 million. The facility is expected to be in operation in 2027, he said. 

According to Melton, 20% of the jobs created will go to Gary residents, along with 20% of construction contacts to minority-owned businesses and 5% to women-owned businesses. 

Decisions like bringing on the city’s first engineer and grant writers have been instrumental in instituting programs that have directly impacted residents, including the city’s American Rescue Plan Act-funded, $3.4 million “Relight the City” project and the grant-funded “Love Your Block” program.

Phase one of the relighting project has already begun on Broadway and Ridge Road, and Melton pledged more. 

“Next, we’re going into the neighborhoods so every single light in this city will be repaired,” he said.

Melton also spotlighted improvements in public safety, noting that the city police department hired 16 new recruits last year. In addition, he said Gary achieved:

• A 77% homicide closure rate
• A reduction in nonfatal shootings, with 134 incidents in 2024 compared to 147 in 2023 
• A drop in homicides from 52 in 2023 to 40 last year

He also highlighted the city’s crackdown on illegal dumping, reporting 25 arrests in 2023 and 11 arrests so far this year.

Looking ahead, Melton said the city is partnering with the Gary YWCA to open a new shelter on the city’s east side to serve women and children in need. He also announced plans to launch a special response unit to remove the ubiquitous graffiti throughout Gary.

Though his time as mayor has been eventful, it is perhaps his last act as a state senator that has paid the most dividends for the city early in his administration.

Senate Bill 434, which was authored by Melton and signed into law in 2023, has produced tangible results around the city, including demolition and blight elimination in the Miller and Aetna neighborhoods and the nearing possibility of a new Lake County convention center attached to Hard Rock Casino. 

The impending decision on the convention center’s location has a political and legislative rift between the city and Hammond, which Melton addressed with cautious optimism during his address. 

“This is not just about Gary receiving a convention center,” he said. “This is about what is right and what is just. I believe it’s the right thing to do.”

Melton pointed to Hard Rock essentially being the source of state funding for the project as a major reason for Gary to receive the bid. 

“Think about that,” he said. “If we didn’t get the convention center and it goes to another community, it’s going to be funded by the tax dollars generated in Gary. Let that sink in for a minute.”

Melton delivered his first State of the City address just 100 days into his administration, prior to the initiation of most of his vision. Now, with nearly 18 months under his belt, the mayor was able to speak from experience as opposed to aspiration.

Blight elimination, a cornerstone of his campaign, has turned into a point of emphasis of his administration. Since 2024, the city reports more than 100 blighted structures have been either demolished or improved in the Aetna neighborhood, with plans to move into Marshalltown and Tarrytown by 2026. The majority of work is being completed on a volunteer basis by Rieth-Riley. 

On the housing front, Melton unveiled a plan to build 20 new single-family homes for veterans in partnership with the Gary Housing Authority, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing. The project is set to break ground in the second quarter of 2026 and will be located in the 600 and 700 blocks of Connecticut and Pennsylvania streets.

Other upcoming projects include a 112-space parking lot at Sixth Avenue and Lake Street in Miller, expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year; upgrades to the RailCats stadium, including improvements to the suite areas; restoration of the former Diamond Center on Fifth Avenue and its attached restaurant; and plans for a $90 million multimodal station downtown. 

Lastly, Melton addressed state legislation affecting the city, an issue the Common Council addressed earlier this month with the creation of a new legislative committee. Senate Bill 1, which is essentially the state’s budget bill, presents a possible hit to the city’s property tax revenue as the state legislature seeks to reform property tax in the state, while Senate Bill 1448, in an attempt to correct a state error, will require the city to pay millions of dollars to neighboring cities.

This story originally was published by Capital B, which is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering Black-focused, independent, fact-based journalism that informs, inspires and empowers the Gary community.