PUEBLO—Mayor Heather Graham hosted the annual State of the City address on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the Pueblo Convention Center where hundreds of residents, community partners and City employees joined the event.

“This year is meant to celebrate the high-level achievements in 2025, acknowledge the obstacles we encounter and help us look forward to the plan ahead for Pueblo in 2026,” said Mayor of Pueblo Heather Graham. “I want this to be a much more community focused event that celebrates the wins we saw across Pueblo, not just what we accomplished here as the City of Pueblo government.”

Mayor Graham shared with the public many accomplishments in 2025 with events like the Steel City Arkansas River Festival (SCARF) hosted by Pueblo Parks and Recreation at the newly completed WaterWorks Park, new development plans and partnership with Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority (PURA) in the Bessemer Area with Building Back Bessemer and an overall five percent decrease in crime with the lowest homicide rate since 2019. Additional highlights include the completion of the three new fire stations and new oversight of The Pueblo Shelter by SafeSide Recovery. Mayor Graham shared details of City accomplishments and obstacles on a high level and guests heard about community partnerships from 2025, with looks ahead to new plans in 2026.

“We have many community partners, businesses, citizens and outside agencies who are ready to bring or support our businesses throughout Pueblo,” said Mayor Graham. “I want to say thank you to all of our community partners who help make this important work happen for economic development.”

During her speech, five different videos were incorporated which included highlighting the quality of life with a video titled “A Wonderful Place to Live” including Founder of Grassroots Gravel Adam Davidson, Visit Pueblo and Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Vice President Donielle Kitzman, a CSU Pueblo student and highlights of the anticipated opening of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America. Another video showcased the partnership of UCHealth Parkview with remarks from CEO Darrin Smith about collaboration with the Pueblo Police Department and the Pueblo Fire Department, alongside information about the newly created Pueblo Police Foundation. The third video gave a walk-through tour of The Pueblo Shelter now operated by SafeSide Recovery and two personal stories from residents Patrick Liptak and Vanessa Tafoya.

The fourth video highlighted the completed project of The Slab with a brief history and overview of partnership provided by Assistant Director of Pueblo Parks and Recreation Mike Sexton. Finally, the presentation concluded with a video titled, “A Bright Future for Business” which included partners like Southern Colorado Building Department Chief Building Officer Mark Guerrero; President and CEO of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Duane Nava; Director of Public Works Andrew Hayes; Principal of ESH Development Emery Chukly; CEO and President of PuebloPlex Russell DeSalvo; Interim Director of PURA Cherish Deeg and President of Pueblo Community College Dr. Chato Hazelbaker.

Mayor Graham concluded her speech by saying, “ Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank you - the citizens of Pueblo. You are the reason for our work, and you give us your hard-earned tax dollars to carry out amazing projects like I spoke of today.”

She stated, “As Mayor of Pueblo, I remain committed to our citizens feeling connected, respected and protected.”

The hardcopy of State of the City report is available online at Office of the Mayor or the replay of the address by Mayor Graham can be seen on the City’s Facebook page City of Pueblo Facebook.