The City of Suffolk staged an impressive show once again at the State of the City event Thursday afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn & Suffolk Conference Center.

And while an additional $40 million in capital investment was announced and Mayor Bobby Ralph touted city efforts toward making progress on its priorities of economic development, education, downtown and village development and Quality of Life, the venue was the real star.

The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event was a great opportunity to showcase the new Suffolk and the Hilton to business leaders from throughout the region and city officials took full advantage of the opportunity.

There’s a lot riding on the success of the hotel and conference center, and the kind of exposure it received Thursday is crucial to making that success a reality.

And, oh yeah, the state of the city could hardly be better and that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes focus and leadership and Suffolk appears to be doing the right things.

Yesterday we announced the pending departure of downtown coordinator Elizabeth McCoury.

McCoury’s absence will leave a void in the ongoing downtown renaissance that will be difficult to fill.

But thanks to McCoury’s hard work, it may not be that tough to do.

Seven years ago, McCoury started selling downtown Suffolk when there was little to sell. She must have felt like someone trying to sell ice to Eskimos.

Now, we have something to sell-a plan, a lifestyle, and plenty of testimonials. She’ll be leaving Suffolk better than she found it.