State of the City: Emotional, online and the future

Observations and follow-up news from Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich’s inaugural address on Tuesday:

All ‘FoFo’ all the time: Beginning at 1 p.m. today Cable One in Biloxi began a 48-hour marathon replay of Mayor Gilich’s complete State of the City presentation. The 45-minute cablecast, which begins at the top of every hour, can be viewed on Cable Channel 16 for those without digital boxes and on Channel 69 for those with cable boxes.

‘FoFo’ online: The State of the City section on the city’s website has links to the complete video of the presentation, photos from the luncheon and complete text of the mayor’s remarks. To see the State of the City coverage, click here.

The emotion: Mayor Gilich is making no apologies for choking back tears at more than one point in his opening remarks at his inaugural State of the City address. “I’m emotional about this job,” the mayor declared this morning. “It affects my family, and Biloxi is my family. I wanted people to know how lucky I felt to have been born and raised in Biloxi, and how thrilled I am to be mayor of Biloxi.”

The music man: Andrew “FoFo” Gilich played keyboards in a band (the Chantels) during his high school years, jammed with a band at his election victory party, and made sure music was a part of his State of the City presentation. Gilich approached the stage to the Saints game day anthem “Stand Up and Get Kronk”; and he quoted lyrics from Fleetwood Mac’s forward-looking “Don’t Stop” and the 1972 Johnny Nash classic “I Can See Clearly Now,” which blared to the audience at the conclusion of the address.

Hizzoners: A trio of former Biloxi mayors were in the audience at the State of the City address: A.J. Holloway, who served from 1993 to 2015 and was referenced more than once in Gilich’s address; Gilich staffer Gerald Blessey, who served from 1981 to 1989; and Daniel D. “Danny” Guice, a regular at city functions, who served from 1961 to 1973.

The future: Two high school seniors played key roles in the State of the City luncheon. St. Patrick’s High School student and Student Advisory Board member Blair Doyle led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Biloxi High School student and Student Advisory Recording Secretary Abigail Lawson introduced the Mayor Gilich.

The Gilich doctrine, so to speak: Mayor Gilich, a fan of the edict “less is more,” has a message for those attending future States of the City: Tuesday’s 31-minute opus, bookended by 10 minutes of podium remarks was an anomaly. Future SOTC presentations will be no more than 20 minutes.