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5 challenges facing the city |
Imagine a professional athlete with a long-term contract that is close to expiring. He’s about to enter negotiations with the team, but first he has one year left to show why he’s valuable — a contract year.This is Columbia Mayor Bob Coble’s contract year.Coble’s first chance to impress will be Thursday, when he delivers his annual State of the City address at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.For 18 years, Coble has led Columbia with little political opposition. This time next year, he will begin negotiating with voters about extending his contract four more years.But with crime up 7 percent in 2008 and reports that the city now has an $11 million deficit in its general fund, some voters are frustrated.
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