State of the City 2025 Speech Transcript

2025 State of the City Address 
Hon. Ben Walsh | Mayor, City of Syracuse 
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 | 5:30 p.m. 
Grant Middle School  

"Sky is the Limit"

In gold letters behind a statue of George Washington, the words of the Athenian Oath greet those who enter the main lobby of Maxwell Hall at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship:  

“We will ever strive for the ideals and sacred things of the city, both alone and with many. We will unceasingly seek to quicken the sense of public duty. We will revere and obey the city’s laws.”  

An oath said to be sworn by young men of the City of Athens, Greece more than 2,000 years ago, these words inspired me as a Public Administration graduate student. They helped guide me as your mayor these past seven years. Through collaboration with many and by putting public duty above partisanship, we have accomplished much. Tonight, we will reflect on our progress, look ahead to what is next and what still must be done.  

As I address the Common Council, I first want to acknowledge President Hudson, who cannot be with us tonight, but I know is watching from home. Helen, it’s been an honor to serve with you for the past seven years and I join everyone here in sending our love and best wishes. President Pro Tempore Hogan, At-Large Councilors Caldwell, Gethers, Majok, and Paniagua, and District Councilors Nave, Williams, Jones-Rowser and Monto, as well as Clerk McBride, and former Council President Van Robinson, in keeping with the City Charter, it is my honor to deliver to you the State of the City of Syracuse as we begin 2025.  

On behalf of the Administration in my final year in office and in keeping with the continuing words of the Athenian Oath, I am proud to report Syracuse is “not only not less, but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”  

This auditorium is a representation of our progress. Designed by James A. Randall, the prolific Syracuse architect behind more than a dozen Syracuse school buildings, it opened in the early days of the Great Depression. It was meticulously restored in 2020 as part of the Joint Schools Construction Board, which I am proud to chair. It is as spectacular today as it was in 1931.  

I delivered my first State of the City address at a school – PSLA @ Fowler in 2018. We went to Corcoran High School in 2023. And I am glad to be at a school again for my last State of the City. As before each of my school addresses, Deputy Mayor Owens and I met with Grant students earlier this month to hear from them directly about our city.  

Our kids were smart and asked great questions. We talked about the impact of poverty on families and the challenges faced by parents working to make ends meet. They said staying in Syracuse will be easier for them if our neighborhoods are safer. They showed real interest in learning and asked about new programs and curriculum that could be offered at our schools. And five of the students hoped to be heading to our new STEAM high school in the fall. More on that later. Once again, I learned a lot and was challenged by our young people. Thank you, Grant students, for having us.  

With this address, I have presented a State of the City in each of the four quadrants of the city. It is an honor to conclude here on the north side. There is no part of the city that has undergone greater change in recent decades. And while the north side faces challenges, there are reasons for optimism: the 81 Community Grid project; proximity to the Inner Harbor, the Regional Market, and the growing northern suburbs; and, most importantly, the strength of the many cultures of its people.  

Later this year, one of the largest redevelopment projects occurring anywhere in the city is set to begin here on the Northside — next door at the former Maria Regina campus. The site, where my mother, DeDe, once attended college and where I brought my oldest daughter, Breena, to daycare, will be revitalized as quality, affordable senior housing.  

It took years to find the right reuse for this unique eight-acre site and then to line up more than $100 million in financing needed. And now thanks to our partners at Home Leasing and the strong support of Governor Hochul, this major project is moving forward.  

It will be a stabilizing force and, I believe, a catalyst for more investment on the north side. The return of the Maria Regina campus to productive use is just one of multiple big dreams that might have seemed unachievable back in 2018:  

The old Central High School still lingered vacant with no good prospects for the future. We partnered with the County, the school district, and the State to establish the first regional STEAM high school in New York State. It opens later this year.  

Demolition has removed most of the remains of the old Syracuse Developmental Center, a longstanding blight to the westside. We seized the 48-acre property for back taxes in 2019, and now it will become a new mixed-use neighborhood with more than 500 units of quality mixed income housing.  

The once-empty Coyne Textile site is already home to the JMA Wireless 5G advanced manufacturing plant on the Southside, and it’s slated for further expansion to begin later this year.  

Across the city, these and other big projects, as well as major improvements in City government operations and services, are the result of an ambitious vision we pursued together:  

Syracuse will be a growing city that embraces diversity and creates opportunity for all.  

We believed a relentless focus on that vision would position Syracuse for resurgence, and it has.  

That was the purpose of the Syracuse Surge, our strategy for inclusive growth in the New Economy, and Syracuse Build, our nationally recognized construction careers training program. It also inspired the Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative, our comprehensive housing and community revitalization plan. As we prepare for Micron’s $100 billion megafab project, these programs are preparing us to maximize the benefit of this historic project for city residents.  

The City has benefitted from the tremendous support of our government partners at all levels. I am grateful to my fellow elected leaders, many of whom are here tonight: Assemblymembers Bill Magnarelli, Pam Hunter, and Al Stirpe, Senator Rachel May and newly elected Senator Chris Ryan; Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, County Legislature Chair Tim Burtis and other members of the County Legislature, County Sheriff Toby Shelley, and County Clerk Emily Bersani; as well as multiple leaders from nearby towns and villages. I’d also like to acknowledge Governor Hochul, as well as U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and our new Congressman John Mannion.  

There are big goals still to be accomplished and serious challenges to overcome, most notably, doing away with Syracuse’s unacceptably high poverty rate. But the progress we are making indicates we are on the right track.  

And best of all, our highest heights have yet to be achieved. Tonight, if we can keep putting partnership above partisanship, I believe the sky is the limit for the City of Syracuse.  

Jeanette Epps knows about reaching for the stars – and getting there. She is a proud graduate of Corcoran High School and Le Moyne College who grew up to become a NASA astronaut. Jeanette spent eight months in space in 2024 as part of the NASA Space-X Crew 8 Mission. Jeanette, though, has never forgotten where she came from, and tonight, with Syracuse’s future looking up, she has a message for our city school students and all of our young people.  

(Jeanette Epps message)  

Thank you, Jeanette for that video greeting and for all your work to make our universe a better place. You’ve shown that with relentless pursuit, anything is possible. But it takes consistent, hard effort.  

The Syracuse City School District’s new “Rise and Thrive: Show Up to Glow Up” campaign is delivering that message to our young people to address school attendance. Absenteeism is too high in our schools, but it is starting to decline. Chronic absenteeism declined last school year. And the numbers are looking even better this year with the Rise and Thrive program. Most of our schools reported a 90% or better attendance rate this past fall and chronic absenteeism decreased significantly in every grade.  

I’m also proud to report the school graduation rate increased to 72.6% last year. That progress is the result, first and foremost, of the hard work of our students and their families and the District’s outstanding teachers and staff.  

I also think the better facilities are making a difference. Working together with President Hudson and our fellow board members, the JSCB has overseen $450 million in construction projects at 19 schools under JSCB phases I and II. Funded by New York State with the backing of Governor Hochul and our state delegation, classrooms, laboratories, music rooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums and sports fields have been transformed into the finest places for learning and growth anywhere in the region.  

And we are not done. Planning is underway for Phase III of JSCB with an expanded budget of $400 million. Phase III renovations will take place at Seymour Dual Language Academy, Webster Elementary, Delaware Primary, Syracuse Latin and Roberts Pre-K-8 Schools, Lincoln and Syracuse STEM at Blodgett Middle Schools, Nottingham, Corcoran, and Henninger High Schools. These projects will take place over the next nine years and work is expected to start in late 2026. I’m deeply grateful to the City Engineering Department and the District Facilities team for their incredible work.  

Not far away in the Inner Harbor, the next phase of expansion of Rapid Response is nearing completion at the corner of Solar and Division Streets. And just a block closer to the Harbor, plans are moving ahead on the new $45 million Hidden Level headquarters. Those two projects will bring around 115 jobs to the lakefront.  

At the southern end of the city, the massive new planned housing development at the former Lafayette Country Club is successfully moving through the predevelopment process. That project will bring approximately 300 urgently needed market rate, single family and duplex homes in phase one.  

On the southside, 2024 delivered two of the largest grants in Syracuse history. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the City and its co-applicant, Syracuse Housing Authority, a $50 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant for the East Adams Neighborhood Transformation Plan. The funds will support the transformation of Pioneer Homes and McKinney Manor by redeveloping and constructing more than 1,400 units of new public and mixed-income housing.  

That’s a dream that Tara (TARR-uh) Harris, who lives in Pioneer Homes, has been working towards for what feels like her whole life. Tara is the Blueprint 15 lead Neighborhood Navigator. Her job is to help residents understand the major changes that are coming to the area and ensure their voices and concerns are being heard. Tara and her fellow Neighborhood Navigators are a big reason why HUD picked Syracuse for this massive project. Her days are filled with non-stop phone calls, knocking on doors and community meetings.  

For Tara, whose mother Dorothy brought her home to Central Village as a baby, the job feels more like a calling. “I’m here for the neighborhood,” she says. Tara, the whole city is lucky to have you. Your leadership has been essential in attracting investment to the neighborhood. Please stand and be recognized.  

Also in 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation presented Syracuse and its partner at the New York State DOT with a $180 million Reconnecting Communities grant. Funding will go to infrastructure improvements in the East Adams area and to other major upgrades to the Community Grid project to make it safer and better for pedestrians, cyclists and cars.  

On the westside, as previously mentioned the majority of the long-vacant Syracuse Developmental Center is now gone. We reclaimed the hillside property between Tipp Hill and the South Geddes Street corridor and are turning it into…a neighborhood – with 500 units of mixed income housing. When demolition is completed later this year, we will start installing infrastructure and utilities. The housing will be constructed in three phases over about three years. When complete, plans include park space, bike, and walking paths.  

On the eastside, in addition to I-81 construction in the Crouse-Irving area, new projects are happening along the East Genesee corridor. The conversion of the former Crowne Plaza into nearly 300 apartments is already underway. Plans are also advancing for the Gateway project next door at Almond and Fayette, and the Northside Genesee project at East Genesee and Walnut. Together, those two projects will contribute another 500 new housing units. In Eastwood, the three-story brick former American Legion Post on James Street in the heart of the “village” is prepped to become 28 market rate units to be known as “The Taft Living Apartments.”  

In Downtown Syracuse, the renaissance continues at a rapid clip. The conversion of One Websters Landing from office space to apartments is complete and more residential units are coming to the old newspaper production space at The Post. Symphony Tower is open with renovated commercial and residential space, and work is underway across Salina Street on the Allyn Foundation’s next downtown project at the former Chimes building. Redevelopment of the historic Mizpah Tower as offices, apartments and retail is well along. Micron will open its downtown headquarters and add its name to our skyline this spring.  

And looking ahead, there is major news coming about additional hotel development in the heart of downtown.  

With all of this development and growth, it won’t come as a surprise that demand for construction and building permits is greater than it's ever been. To keep up, I’m pleased to report the Central Permit Office is adding additional capacity with third party reviewers. With the help of qualified outside engineering firms, we’re already seeing faster turnaround times on permit approvals.  

And because healthy neighborhood corridors need responsible businesses, we’re following through on our pledge to crackdown on illegal and non-compliant retail operations. In a partnership between Law, Police, Fire and Code Enforcement, we closed 26 businesses that weren’t upholding their responsibilities to the neighborhoods they serve – and we will continue to use the City’s authority where necessary to address future offenders.  

Since 2019, the heart of our economic investment efforts has been the Syracuse Surge. There are many brick and mortar examples of the strategy coming together: the STEAM School; the Tech Garden Expansion; the growing JMA Wireless campus; the new Syracuse Community Health Center; and the SUNY Educational Opportunity Center renovation.  

Syracuse Surge workforce programs have graduated more than 800 people in advanced manufacturing, digital customer service and software programs. LeMoyne’s Erie21 is providing the skills and tech centered pathways for hundreds of young people and adults to thrive in the ever-changing workforce.  

SurgeLink, the City’s affordable municipal broadband program, is expanding its network and will soon have the capacity to help more than 7,000 underserved households get the digital access they need for work, school, health and daily living.  

Access to broadband is essential for inclusive growth. So is reliable transportation. Centro continues to be a Syracuse Surge partner and is moving forward with a system redesign in 2026, and the rollout of Bus Rapid Transit in Syracuse in 2027.  

I’m proud to report, the Syracuse Build Pathways to Apprenticeship program has prepared more than 130 residents for construction industry careers and placed more than 60 local people into apprenticeships. Pathways is so effective because of the partnerships behind it: organized labor helped create and delivers the curriculum; non-profit partners provided stability and support; and sponsors of major construction projects are on board. Pathways is changing lives, too.  

Liz Schoonmaker is a 2021 Pathways graduate – one of eleven people and the only woman in the first class. She’s a member of Operating Engineers Local 158 and for the past year has been assigned to the Interstate 81 project south of the city at the I-481 interchange. She operates bulldozers, backhoes, and big trucks. So, when you see the giant mounds of earth that have been moved to build a better transportation network and make way for the Community Grid, Liz is one of the people making it happen. I’m proud to tell you that a few weeks ago, Liz became Syracuse Build’s first “journeywoman.”  

Liz is with us tonight and is joined by other Pathways graduates, along with their incredible mentor and leader, Ebony Farrow from UA Local 81. Please stand and be recognized.  

Stable neighborhoods are safe for all who live there. The Syracuse Fire Department protects our city from fire and other emergencies around the clock. There is no fire department better at that duty than SFD.  

The Department landed its largest ever federal grant in 2024 -- $7.6 million dollars to pay for additional firefighters. Tonight, I’m pleased to announce with that funding, the Department will bring the former Station 12 on West Genesee Street near West Street back online – to help meet the fire service demands of a growing city and be able to respond to calls more effectively as 81 construction in the city accelerates.  

SFD leadership is also playing a key role in enhancing ambulance service in the city and in our region. The Department is working with AMR to enter into the first ever service contract for its work for the City. Working together, SFD, AMR and the Onondaga County 9-1-1 center will optimize systems for emergency response to get people the right level of care they need more quickly.  

26 recruit firefighters completed the fire academy in 2024 and our next class of 28 recruits is already underway. At the new fire training tower, SFD has taken more than 500 firefighters from Syracuse and around the nation through rigorous training.  

Our PSLA@Fowler fire cadet program is thriving too. Fire-Rescue students are taking college level courses at OCC. The program is building relationships with other partners including New York State Homeland Security and the State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.  

Members of the fire cadet program are here tonight. We thank you for your service. Please stand and be recognized.  

The Syracuse Police Department also continues to do an outstanding job keeping us safe.  

Violent crime at the end of 2024 was down over 8% compared to last year and down more than that against the five-year average. Gun crime was down even more sharply: all of the major categories were down more than 26% and the most serious violence – shooting victims injured or deceased dropped 39%.  

SPD works very closely with the Mayor’s Office to Reduce Gun Violence. Together, they proactively identify high-risk areas and individuals that need outreach support and intervention to head off conflict. The Office launched the Safer Streets Community Violence Initiative in 2024 and has successfully enrolled a full cohort of 50 individuals. Safer Streets has placed participants in housing, education and workforce opportunities and all are meeting program requirements.  

In addition to violence reduction, SPD is working hard to address the increase in property crime that is impacting Syracuse and cities everywhere. It was up as high as 28% in the middle of the year due mostly to stolen cars. With community help and smart policing, property crime ended the year up only 4.5%.  

SPD also began the Koper Curve program in 2024. A big part of this initiative is officers getting out of their cars and walking the beat in neighborhoods across the city. Officers recorded more than 5,100 Koper patrols last year.  

This excellent performance is happening at a time when our officer numbers are down, despite this administration putting on a record 11 academy classes. That’s why we created the Syracuse Police Cadet Program – which provides a career bridge for young people before they can enter the academy. I’m pleased to report 13 cadets graduated this year; one went on to become a full police officer, one has been hired for the upcoming academy class, and five more are in the hiring pipeline for that same class. This program is having exactly the impact we intended. Members of the police cadet program are here tonight. We thank you for your service. Please stand and be recognized.  

No positions in public service are as demanding and dangerous as being police officers and firefighters. Both departments faced many challenges in 2024. Fire responded to over 27,000 alarms last year – that's an average of 74 calls per day. Our Police Department, and the Onondaga County Sheriffs, faced immense pain in the tragic loss of Officer Michael Jensen and Lieutenant Michael Hoosock on duty this past April. Please join me in a moment of silence honoring the lives of Officer Jensen and Lieutenant Hoosock, remembering their bravery and the bravery of all of our first responders. (Pause) Thank you.  

Growing economic investment and keeping neighborhoods strong demands exceptional City services. I’m extremely proud of the courage and ingenuity being shown by our City departments to make progress on our second objective: deliver City services more efficiently, effectively and equitably.  

I say courage because it’s really hard to change practices that have been in place for decades. There’s no better example of that than the DPW’s modernization of City sanitation services which we completed late this fall. The successful rollout of covered recycling carts also included a route optimization program to use our trucks and people more efficiently.  

Now, we deliver a better service to constituents using fewer crews – freeing up staff for other important work like bulk pickups and illegal setouts. We also saved about a quarter of a million dollars in trash tipping fees. Costs for shoulder injuries – the most expensive claims we faced across the city and the ones that largely hit our sanitation crews – are down nearly 90%. The new system is safer for our employees.  

And it’s delivering a cleaner city. Andy Jakubowski, the head of our environmental services unit, which handles our litter pickup, sent me this report in early November:  

“It’s only been a few weeks but the impact the recycling carts have had on reducing litter is extraordinary…Myself and the crew think it’s wonderful. We are able to cover more ground and affect a broader area.”  

Andy, thanks to you and your team for the words of encouragement. Keep up the great work.  

DPW also worked with multiple City departments and the Council to launch and implement the municipal sidewalk maintenance program. Using an annual fee paid by all property owners, we reconstructed more than 12 miles of sidewalks in 2024. We also continued supplemental sidewalk snow removal on 140 miles of sidewalks, including routes to every City School – and keep adding miles each year.  

DPW is now well underway on an even bigger challenge: Vision Zero. That’s the commitment we’ve made to join other cities around the world working to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries. The urgency is great: on average there are nine fatal and 126 serious injury crashes per year in the city. And it doesn’t have to be this way. By changing how we design, use, and view our streets, we can make them safer for everyone.  

Our team conducted a series of public input meetings in the second half of 2024 to help us build a Safety Action Plan. The data shows us where to start: 50% of serious crashes happen on about 6% of our roads and at 1% of our intersections. Only 25 intersections and 25 miles of roads.  

We’re taking public input until the end of this month and will bring the Action Plan to the Council by Spring 2025. Vision Zero is achievable – if we make the right decisions and take the right steps over multiple years.  

We have many related initiatives already underway. Using a data-driven process, we added 30 speed cushions in 2024 bringing our total number to 58 citywide. And DPW is introducing three new neighborhood greenways on Lemoyne Avenue, Hawley Avenue, and Caleb Avenue. Greenways make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists by giving them priority and slowing down vehicle speeds. In these and other locations, we added more than 45 blocks of bike facilities across the city last year with more coming this year.  

Installation of bus stop arm cameras begins next week with a plan to rollout the technology on city streets next month. And our red light and speed cameras in school zones are expected to be in operation in the coming months.  

DPW reconstructed about 17 miles of city streets in 2024. Our five-year average shows that our hard work is paying off. The condition of streets across the City continues to improve, and we are leveraging an equitable, data-driven approach to get the most bang for our infrastructure buck.  

Cities around the country are coming to Syracuse to learn how we’re using technology to improve snow removal and keep residents informed during major snow events. The snowplow map is live during all storms and gives a real time view of plow progress and road conditions.  

In partnership with the Council, we’ve completely overhauled the City’s snowplow fleet. When I took office, there were storms in which we had single digit numbers of plows running citywide. In the big snow events this month, we’ve consistently had 20 big plows out along with even more pickups plowing tighter roadways.  

With this progress on streets and safety, micromobility can and should continue to be a part of our transportation network. Veo has generated more than a million e-bike and scooter rides in Syracuse since inception. Rider data shows over three quarters of Veo trips are taken for commuting, getting to appointments, and connecting with transit, which makes sense given the fact that close to a third of city residents don’t have cars. Councilors, there is an urgent need to continue this critical micromobility option for our residents, so let’s work together and figure it out.  

The programs and services delivered by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth programs are thriving. We’re seeing greater participation in our senior programs, including a new “Cardio Drumming” group; growth in golf course memberships; a 50% increase in Cycle in the City riders, and an additional 10,000 visits to City pools compared to the previous year.  

We added four new pickleball courts, installed a new playground and completed the Hiawatha Lake wall restoration at Upper Onondaga Park; opened a new splash pad at Washington Square Park; completed a playground upgrade at Union Park; restored the fountain at Franklin Square; and constructed the new kayak launch to Onondaga Creek at Kirk Park. The Forestry team with community partners planted more than 3,000 trees, and, for the first time, Syracuse was named a “Tree City of the World.”  

Working with community partners and the County, we opened the City of Syracuse Second Chance Dog Shelter to help address the crisis of abandoned and stray dogs. I’m very grateful to the team at Parks and at Syracuse Police for working on this serious problem facing Syracuse and communities everywhere.  

And there is a lot in the pipeline in the coming year. With a $4 million New York SWIMS grant, we will renovate the pools and facilities at Thornden Park and Onondaga Park. Work has begun on the new splashpad at Cummings Field in Eastwood, which will be finished later this year. We’ve also identified the City Capital Improvement Funds needed to complete the restoration of the historic stone stairs at Westminster Park.  

Parks has significant improvements coming to the historic James Pass Arboretum, starting this winter. This project will enhance the arboretum’s ecological health, improve the visitor experience, and expand educational opportunities.  

Designs are done and work will soon begin on the Trailside Family Recreation Center at the Inner Harbor; the Eastwood Skate Park upgrade; the reconstruction of the Hanover Square fountain; the Spirit of Jubilee Stage; a play feature at Sankofa Park; and a splashpad at Westmoreland Park.  

It’s going to be a very busy and exciting year ahead for Parks.  

The Water Department, in addition to its lead service work, made major improvements to water infrastructure in 2024. It initiated pump station replacements at Brookford, Westminster, and Guilford. It also repaired and returned to full service the Morningside Storage Tanks. Department crews repaired 314 water main breaks and leaks in 2024. We can all be proud of the work of our Water Department.  

A critically important service to our constituents is planning beyond the horizon of this administration and even the next.  

I’m pleased to report that work is underway on phase one of the Syracuse Comprehensive Plan 2050. The plan will provide a twenty five-year vision for Syracuse with a focus on long term planning for land use, housing, recreation, mobility, equity, the built environment, climate resiliency, and quality of life. The focus is on social and economic sustainability to support our vision of opportunity for all.  

We also received a state grant to develop the City’s first Climate Action Plan. This plan, coupled with a new Greenhouse Gas Emission inventory, will provide a data-driven strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in City operations and the community, and help us prepare for the unrelenting impact of climate change. We have established a cross-departmental Sustainability Taskforce to further develop a culture of sustainable thinking and action in City government.  

Flooding is also a concern in parts of the city in a changing climate. The Arsenal Park Study dedicated to reducing flood risk along Onondaga Creek for residents and businesses will be finished in 2025. We completed the Coldbrook Improvement Project in 2024 to improve the flow capacity of the stone-lined channel running north to south in the Valley. Next up is Furnace Brook in Elmwood Park. Using a FEMA grant, work will begin to restore the brook to its pre-flooding condition.  

Implementation of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program is creating a community-driven vision for revitalization and public waterfront access along Onondaga Lake and the Inner Harbor. First up is the design process for improvements to Progress Park which will include recreational opportunities, pedestrian and bicycle connections, visitor amenities, and safety features. And we’re also working on a preliminary design for reuse of the existing Inner Harbor Piers, those valuable platforms that reach into the water. We’re exploring redevelopment options and programming ideas to transform the underutilized waterfront into an active public space with a focus on increasing accessibility and recreational opportunities.  

A different kind of sustainability is the focus of our third objective – achieving fiscal sustainability. Unless the City is on solid financial ground, we’ll struggle to serve constituents or meet any of our major goals. I’m pleased to report that all major indicators of fiscal health show the City is stronger today than when I took office.  

In 2019, Moody’s and S&P upgraded the City’s fiscal outlook from negative to stable, and in 2022 S&P upgraded our credit rating from A to A+. Here’s what Moody’s said in its most recent report: Syracuse “benefits from a materially improved financial position over the last several fiscal years and considerable growth prospects, including the Micron semiconductor plant...The city remains the economic hub for a substantial portion of Upstate New York.”  

Our reserves are projected to be in excess of $115 million at the end of this fiscal year, which is more than double what we started with, and about $60 million greater than the recommended level. The reality is, though, to balance the budget, we will likely have to draw on our reserve again. As long as we are in that position, we haven’t achieved fiscal sustainability.  

The building blocks are there: sales tax continues to perform above expectations. We’re seeing increased property tax revenue from higher property values. The state authorized a one-time increase of $5 million in municipal aid to Syracuse in last year’s budget. I hope it is an indicator of a permanent change in the state AIM formula. We’re moving ahead with new sources of funding recommended by our Revenue Enhancement group, including the city hotel room occupancy tax which awaits final Council approval next week.  

We’re taking other big steps to improve the way City government performs. The Division of Purchase made major progress in 2024 on a new online procurement process. It will allow us to issue, evaluate and award bids online and improve engagement with suppliers.  

The Finance Department introduced a new process for reviewing City government quarterly budgets against actual spending. The process significantly improves our internal financial controls so we can better manage taxpayer dollars. And Finance, in coordination with Human Resources and API, are pressing forward with the overhaul of our payroll and timekeeping systems and implementation of modern Human Capital Management (HCM) software and systems.  

This is a massive project that in any setting – public or private sector – takes multiple years. And while its expensive, it will provide critical tools to better control spending. Large parts of the new HCM are already in place, and the full implementation will occur later this year.  

This next undertaking may not be a revenue generator or an expense cutter, but it’s vitally important to ensure fairness and equity in the way the City collects property taxes. Early this year, the Department of Assessment will take the next steps to prepare for citywide revaluation.  

So when experts like Moody’s say they see “proactive fiscal management” and “a materially improved financial position,” make no mistake: its these kind of unglamorous and immensely difficult initiatives they are talking about. That’s why I’m very proud of the progress we are making toward fiscal sustainability – even as I acknowledge we have more work to do to get there.  

Since day one, we’ve put a high priority every single day on providing quality constituent engagement and response – our fourth and final objective. We took on major overhauls of the primary ways that people interact with City government.  

Syracuse today has a website at syr.gov that is worthy of a great city. It’s another one of those huge projects that involve every aspect of City government. Launched two years ago, the site is easier to update and maintain. It’s a modern site that is increasingly becoming a platform for online self service by constituents.  

We introduced the SYRCityline app built on the successful See Click Fix platform, which makes it possible for people to easily submit complaints and request service. The system handled close to 23,000 inquiries in 2024 alone – that’s about 60 every day representing everything from a pothole to a complaint about an illegal trash setout.  

We created a Mayor’s Quality of Life Commission with representation from neighborhoods all across the city. The group meets regularly so my management team and I can hear directly from residents about their priorities and concerns.  

We started the City’s first LGBTQ+ Advisory Group to make sure that this important constituency has a voice in City government.  

And I’m proud to announce tonight that we’re starting a New American Advisory Group to provide the same kind of engagement with our New American neighbors across the city.  

We’ve paid close attention to the important needs of veterans in the city launching the SyracuseServes program with our partners at Syracuse University.  

We honored our veterans with the new Hometown Heroes program which later this winter will open orders for our second year. And, for the first time, we declared Syracuse to be a Purple Heart City, recognizing those injured or killed in the line of duty and all those who have served. And with community input, designs are advancing for a new African American Hispanic Veterans Memorial planned for Kirk Park.  

In my inauguration address at the Landmark Theater in 2018, I pledged to “operate a City government that is humble and aware of its responsibility to serve.” Under this objective, I think we’ve done that well.  

When I reflect on the body of work during the past seven years, I think of the African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” In 16 words, it explains how we have accomplished things that couldn’t get done for years and, in some cases, decades: