Marion Mayor Dexter Hinton said the “only thing that can hold us back is ourselves.”
Hinton said he wants to attract more business to Marion in 2023, but in the past, he said he met with resistance against some companies when he announced they were considering locating in the city.
“We’re going to constantly bring in assessments, so if negative comes, we can show the stability and have the documentation to show how it will affect and impact our community,” Hinton said. “That way, if the naysayers are deliberately trying to hurt us, we can put them on the forefront to make them show why they are doing this when the numbers read differently. So, if people try to deliberately try to stop great things that are going, we can show that they are wrong.”
He said he realizes there is “propaganda out there, but we hope everyone gets factual and truthful information and not rely on ‘he said, she said.’ The only thing that will hold us back is ourselves.”
Hinton said, “We want our citizens to be supportive of the city. We want that bond to continue to grow. We want them to be appreciative of where they live. We want them to believe in the administration they have.”
He said he does not want citizens to focus on what is not happening or what is not happening fast enough. “We want to continue to move forward, but it won’t move forward without the support of the citizens,” Hinton said.
“We have to believe in ourselves and work together,” Hinton said. “I think 2023 will be prosperous for the city and all the citizens living here.”
