HUNTINGTON, W.Va–Huntington mayor Steve Williams introduced a new “Walk with the Mayor” program, which he hopes will allow him to be more involved with citizens in Huntington neighborhoods, and promote a healthier city.
Williams, who was a guest on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline”, said the program helps him figure out what the issues are, and to encourage himself and residents to stay fit at the same time.
“It gives me an opportunity to be in the neighborhood and talk specifically to individuals and let them point out particular concerns that they have,” he said. “Secondly, we have a wellness initiative where we’re attempting to encourage people to get out and start moving.”
Williams said that the program would motivate him to stay active by combining fitness and talking with residents about problems that need to be fit, and hopes it would do the same for others. He talked about the success of his “Coffee with the Mayor” program with Marshall University students, adding that the Herd student body a part of Huntington too.
“They are residents of our city just as anybody who lives in any neighborhood of the city,” Williams said. “As I’ve said to members of the administration at Marshall, if students aren’t living on campus and they’re living off campus, they’re ours. And I am their mayor.”
He said the diversity of Huntington is part of what makes it a great city, and that each neighborhood is unique.
“You have a true diversity within the city,” Williams explained. “Whether you start at the West End of Huntington as we are in Westmoreland and work your way east, you get the full gamete of everything. That’s absolutely the beauty of our city.”