Mayor Larry Miller joins St. Joseph in National Day of Prayer at annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast
ST. JOSEPH, Mo (KQTV) -- The annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast took place at the Civic Arena Thursday morning, marking both the National Day of Prayer and the first major public appearance for newly inaugurated Mayor Larry Miller.
For a man who has "never been in office of any kind before," Mayor Miller appeared right at home, greeting constituents with a promise to put "St. Joe first."
"I'm going to do my best," Miller said. "Saint Joe comes first, the taxpayers come first, and citizens come first."
The event featured a special performance from musician and speaker George Dennehy.
Born without arms, Dennehy uses his feet to play the guitar, sharing his journey as an orphan in Romania and how faith helped him persevere.
"It brings people together," said one attendee, Mary Berry. "It makes everyone realize how close we really are to one another, and how small the world really is."
Mayor Miller agrees with the sentiment, especially highlighting the energy of the young people in the crowd.
"To see kids come to something like this. Young people. It's just unbelievable," Miller said. "I think that's the future of Saint Joe, and I think it's great."
One of those young people was sixth-grader Ryker White, attending the breakfast for the first time.
While he stated he hadn't followed local politics closely, he had a clear wish list for the new mayor.
"Some of the buildings around here are a little rundown," Ryker said, pointing to Frederick Towers. "It has some vines on it."
He also expressed hope that the mayor would follow through on campaign promises to clean up city streets.
Mayor Miller emphasized a hands-on, door-to-door approach to governance, noting he plans to join a street cleanup in Stonecrest.
"I’m just going to go out and get to know them," he said. "I’m going to get that shovel and go right with them."
Miller is also planning on continuing his "open door" policy for residents.
"My office is always open," Miller insisted. "You're welcome anytime you want to. If I'm not there, you tell them to get a hold of me and I'll come."
Looking ahead, the mayor has high hopes for public safety, stating he wants to create a city where "you don't have to lock the doors at night no more" by starting neighborhood watch programs.
As the breakfast wrapped up, Miller said the experience was "greater" than he imagined, largely due to the people he met.
"It feels really good to have the people behind you," he said. "I'm going to do my best to do everything for them. We got some good things coming."
