In an upbeat speech to the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce last month, Mayor Kelli Curtis declared that the local economy and community are "booming," pointing to a multitude of developments and enhancements throughout the City.

According to the City of Kirkland official website, Mayor Curtis highlighted that business licenses in Kirkland jumped from 12,587 to 13,901 in 2023. She noted that new tech jobs brought by giants like Google and Amazon are set to revolutionize the city's horizon. Additionally, she mentioned the arrival of Veeam Software's headquarters, which she claims signals further economic prosperity. She also emphasized ongoing housing projects, including a pipeline of nearly 4,400 housing units aimed at offering more affordable living options for Kirklanders.

The Mayor's pride resonated in her enumeration of city enhancements from park inaugurations, like the 132nd Square Park, to technological advancements such as the forthcoming revolutionary internet service by Amazon's Project Kuiper facility. She reiterated the city's commitment to sustainability and inclusivity, with allocated investments in human services and affordable housing; touching upon Kirkland's claims to financial health from the audit results boasting 16 years without any findings and a continuation of the city's AAA credit rating crusade.

Curtis stressed the importance of keeping the community safe, nodding at the newly hired and trained firefighter/EMTs, the proactive police unit crackdown on theft rings, and Kirkland's solid financial strata confirmed by the 2023 budget that ended within projected revenues and expenditures. However, Curtis conceded that more work is still needed, particularly in in areas like housing attainability and behavioral health services, despite growing economic and infrastructural maturity.