Oak Harbor Mayor Ronnie Wright touted his achievements over the past year during his annual State of the City speech during a chamber of commerce meeting Thursday.

During his optimistic address, Wright emphasized one of his key priorities as mayor: creating opportunities for youth.

“One of the things that I heard over and over when I was running for this position is that there is not enough for youth to do here. I am trying to fix that every single day,” Wright said, pointing to new programs such as the 10-week summer camp and a recent Pirates and Mermaids event.

Employee wellbeing was another focus of his year, he noted.

“From the moment I took on the role of mayor, my key priority was to change the culture of our city,” Wright said. “My goal is always to create a positive supportive culture among city employees so everyone understands they are seen, they’re valued and they’re included no matter what — their race, gender, sexual orientation.”

He thanked Human Resources Director Emma House for her work building strong, diverse and effective teams.

“I would like to see Oak Harbor be a place where diversity is more than a word. We welcome everyone with kindness and we listen to each other,” he said.

Beyond his top priorities in office, Wright touched on community engagement, through the Wright Blend and Pathways to Stability Task Force meetings, saying he believes in offering opportunities for resident input. He encouraged people to continue to come to city-hosted events and events hosted in partnership with emergency management, the police force and the fire department.

He highlighted the police department’s work with SPiN Café to address homelessness, mental health and drug use.

Wright also noted grant funding, saying the city has secured over $3 million for growth projects and improvements, including firearms, electric vehicles and police wellness. Other updates included new home permits, the fire department’s full-time career firefighters, a new community garden and ongoing efforts in city council to create a port district.

In closing, Wright credited Oak Harbor’s progress to the collective efforts of everyone involved.

“What we have accomplished so far didn’t happen by chance, it happened because of dedicated city staff, engaged residents, supportive partners, all the new business owners and especially all of you,” he said.