Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover delivered his State of the City address at Portsmouth Rivers Casino, declaring that the city is no longer just talking about change, it is happening.
“There is real change happening right now in Portsmouth,” Glover told the crowd. “All those things we’ve talked about for 20, 30 years, all the things people said were never going to happen, they’re happening.”
Record Investment and Economic Growth
Mayor Glover pointed to more than $333 million in total investment in 2025, nearly double the previous year’s level, as evidence that Portsmouth’s economy is gaining momentum. The city also saw 300 new businesses open, hundreds of new jobs created, more than 1,600 new homes put under construction, and more than $500,000 in loans and property investment grants distributed to small businesses.
Glover described Portsmouth as a city built around what he calls the “New Blue Economy,” an emerging national focus on shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing, logistics, distribution, defense support, and renewable energy…