By: Gavin Schweiger, Follow South Jersey Assistant Editor
VINELAND, NJ — Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci gave a state of the city address on Thursday, January 21, where he celebrated the city’s growth in the past year, and announced expectations for 2026.
Hosted by the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce (GVCC), Fanucci spoke to a crowd of city officials, Cumberland County commissioners, school board members, first responders, business owners, and New Jersey State Senator Michael Testa among others. He made a brief speech lasting a little over 20 minutes where he touched on topics such as the city’s economic and infrastructure growth.
After an introduction from Dawn Hunter, executive director of the GVCC, Fanucci began the speech by thanking the people in the audience.
“Over the past year, we have proven once again that when we work as one community, there is no challenge too great or no horizon too distant,” Fanucci said.
Fanucci noted growth in key areas, including property values, tax revenue, as well as commercial growth and added housing units. He also celebrated the Vineland Convention Center, which opened in November and intends to host events throughout 2026, which he expects to drive economic activity to the city.
He also noted initiatives in modernizing the utilities in the city, including constructing well 17 and upgrading other water wells and making progress on three substation rebuilds. Going into 2026, Fanucci said the city will work on environmentally friendly electricity generation and battery storage and begin to serve residents with a new broadband network, which Vineland got a $3.7 million grant for last year.
Fanucci also talked about roadway upgrades. The mayor said that the city upgraded 14 miles last year and plans to do the same for another 11 miles in 2026, including safety and quality improvements.
“As we repair and repave, we’re also adding bike lanes where appropriate, new signage, new pedestrian-friendly sidewalks,” Fanucci said. “These things will make travel safer and more accessible for everyone.”
Fanucci recognized different departments throughout his speech for their work throughout 2025, including first responders for responding to more than 34,000 calls, the public works and recreation department for their improvements to nine parks, and the health department for making “localized neighborhood community events.”
Going forward, Fanucci predicted more improvements to the city in 2026, as well as projects including a special needs park at the Joseph E. Romano Sports Complex and renovations at the Vineland Senior Center.
To finish the speech, he thanked members of the audience once again.
“Your ideas and energy and passion are what drive our city forward. I appreciate everyone’s willingness to engage. Together we will continue to build on our successes and ensure a bright future here in the City of Vineland,” Fanucci said.
Fanucci did not mention the DataOne data center during the address. When asked why he left the controversial project out of the state of the city address, he said he talked about it last year.
“We’re trying to come up with all the new stuff, like each year,” Fanucci told Follow South Jersey.
He also mentioned that the project is “a city thing, but not like a city thing,” saying he wanted to focus on city and public projects.
See full address below.
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