Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland will deliver a State of the City speech at 7 p.m. Monday at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.

It’s a new, and good, idea for a community that’s been hit by the recession and the Russell Co. relocation but is strong in spirit, volunteerism and hip grit. I’ll be interested in what Strickland has to say.

I’m also interested in what you have to say about where Tacoma is now, and where it’s headed. I’d like to hear your ideas, which I will include in my Monday column.

If you would like to share them, you can do so by commenting on this post or e-mailing me at kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com. Either way you choose, I’ll need your name, your neighborhood and what you do for a living or with your time.

Mayor Strickland’s speech will highlight the GreenTacoma Shift Happens and BE Green South Sound event. To read more about that, read Kathleen Cooper’s story in today’s paper.