A mayor speech is a seven to nine minute persuasive presentation by a city’s leader on the challenges that face their community. A mayor is elected directly by the public in a local-government election or is appointed by their council and may be styled “His or Her Worship” during their time as mayor. Mayors share the needs of their city through their speech and encourage citizens to help solve those problems by offering ideas or pledging support for new initiatives. They also address national events that affect their community such as President Trump’s policies on birthright citizenship or his withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.
In recent years, mayors have focused on addressing local issues such as civic engagement, efforts to improve the quality of schooling and programs designed to promote financial stability. They have also discussed a number of national issues such as fighting against climate change by encouraging residents to use ridesharing services and promoting solar energy.
When analyzing textual sources, it is important to consider the author, audience and intent of the source material. For example, a catalog of mayor speeches (A) is considered a tertiary source, while a transcript of the mayor’s speech (B) is a primary source and news article about the mayor’s speech (C) is a secondary source as it interprets or analyzes the original source material.
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