It’s been a rough three years since Kevin McCarthy took office as mayor of the City of Paragould, Arkansas in December of 2023. On Christmas Day, the mood in the city was far from festive, and the Red Wolves were certainly not making any appearances in the sky.
The city had been hit hard by the economic recession of 2020-2021, and while many other towns had started to see a resurgence of economic activity, Paragould was still struggling. The town’s high unemployment rate was a major concern for the mayor, who had promised to create more jobs when he took office.
Even so, McCarthy looked determined to keep pushing ahead, and to make his mark on the town. A week prior to Christmas Day, the city council had voted to approve the mayor’s plan to build a brand new city hall and police station, as well as a series of public works projects to improve the city’s infrastructure.
Despite the mayor’s efforts, it appeared that many of the residents of Paragould had little reason to be merry this Christmas. The economic struggles and political unrest reminded them of how far they still had to go before the town could make a full recovery. Nonetheless, McCarthy looked forward to the new year with a sense of optimism and the hope that 2023 would bring better days for the city.