State of the City 2024 Transcript, Video and Gallery

Hon. Ben Walsh | Mayor, City of Syracuse 

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 | 5:30 p.m.

City Center, Downtown Syracuse

“Center of Growth”

“Ladies and gentlemen, residents of Syracuse, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens,

As we stand at the crossroads of our community's past, present, and future, it is my honor to address you.

Our community spirit is unwavering, and it is the bedrock upon which we build our shared future. Economically, Syracuse has experienced positive growth…”

I’m sorry, I can’t do this. Time for a confession. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but all the cool mayors have been talking about Artificial Intelligence lately. So as mayor of New York’s Flagship Smart City, I thought I’d try letting ChatGPT write the State of the City this year.

I gotta admit. I was kind of impressed. I just entered, “Write a state of the city speech for Syracuse.” About 20 seconds later, out came about 500 words that weren’t too bad. But they weren’t great either.

“Our spirit is unwavering…the bedrock on which we build our shared future.”

Feels like I’ve heard that before.

“Syracuse has experienced positive growth.”

While true, the words fail to capture the pivotal role the city is playing in Central New York’s resurgence. That’s the reality I want to share.

So, while Syracuse will leverage A-I in a way that is intelligent, let’s set artificial aside for now. And have a real conversation about the state of our city.

State of the City is growing

President Hudson, At-Large Councilors Caldwell, Gethers, Majok, and Paniagua, and District Councilors Nave, Hogan, Williams, Jones-Rowser and Monto, in accordance with the Charter of the City of Syracuse, it is my honor to deliver to you, as well as Auditor Marion and Clerk McBride, the State of the City of Syracuse as we begin 2024. I am proud to report the state of our city is…growing.

Syracuse is growing in ways that are generating energy, confidence and hope for the future. Growing in ways that are creating opportunity for those who have historically been left behind. Growing in ways that a vibrant and successful region must have at its center.

It’s been a long time, but the city has been here before.

The very site at which we gather tonight – the spectacular City Center – was in the middle of it all. Here stood a theater in the 1920s and then a big department store – on a Salina Street that pulsed with culture and commerce. Located on the main street of Central New York, it was the center of growth for the region.

For my 2019 State of the City, we gathered on this same block here at City Center in the Red House Theater, which was the first phase of this redevelopment.

We shared our vision for Syracuse: to be a growing city that embraces diversity and creates opportunity for all. It had been decades since Syracuse grew, so at the time, it was a bold ambition. We laid out four objectives to guide us toward that vision:

Increase economic investment and neighborhood stability;

Deliver city services effectively, efficiently and equitably;

Provide quality constituent engagement and response;

And achieve fiscal sustainability.

From that day to this, these objectives drive all of our work.

Syracuse Surge

It was here at City Center that we unveiled the Syracuse Surge, our strategy for inclusive growth in the New Economy. We envisioned it would jumpstart investment and make Syracuse a world leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

We started with streetlights and a vow to be a smarter city. At a time when high tech mostly benefited a select few, we made a commitment to upskill people and open new paths to prosperity. Nobody else was doing that.

From AI to IoT to semiconducting, we believed that preparing our residents for the jobs of the future would make Syracuse more attractive for investment.

Since that night five years ago, with the support of the Common Council and in coordination with our other partners in government, business and the non-profit sector, we have executed the Syracuse Surge plan. Launching innovative workforce programs. Expanding broadband access. Breaking ground on the state’s first regional science technology engineering arts and math high school.

After decades of slow decline, our population is rising once more. Syracuse is in the top ten of cities in America where young adults – Gen Zers – are now moving.

Downtown is buzzing with activity and investment. City Center, with its four-story metal and glass courtyard carved out of the middle of the old Sibleys, exemplifies the renewal happening in our city and region.

Syracuse is again our “Center of Growth.”

And just in time. Powered by Micron’s $100 billion commitment, our region is embarking on an era of opportunity not seen here in more than half a century, if ever.

Councilors and partners from across the community, the results we have achieved together are nothing short of remarkable. In tonight’s address, I will talk more about the progress we are making and the challenges we still have to conquer. Most critical is the scourge of poverty that afflicts too many children, families and individuals in our city. Virtually all our efforts are strategically aligned to create opportunity and lift people up.

Increase economic investment and neighborhood stability

We’ll begin with economic investment and neighborhood stability. I’ll cover the critically important topics of education, housing, business development and public safety.

Healthy neighborhoods and families and a robust economy can’t exist without a strong school system. I’m proud to report the Syracuse City School District, under the leadership of Superintendent Tony Davis and the Syracuse School Board, is rising to the challenge.

In advance of launching a new strategic planning process this year, Superintendent Davis and the Board adopted a Bridge Plan to guide the district through this school year. It is based on three priorities:

First, improve the sense of belonging for all.

Second, increase student proficiency in literacy and numeracy.

And third, establish a culture of learning and high expectations.

As a parent in the district, these are exactly the values I want to see emphasized. You’ll be hearing more soon from the District about the process for developing the plan. I urge everyone to participate in the work.

One priority we can all agree on is our students deserve the finest educational facilities. I am pleased to report in 2023, we closed out Phase II of the Joint Schools Construction Board projects at nine schools, totaling $300 million in improvements.

JSCB III is up next, and I have an important update. Late last year, with the strong support of our State Delegation, Governor Hochul signed a $100 million increase to JSCB III, bringing the budget to $400 million. Over the next ten years, we will see renovations at STEM at Blodgett, Corcoran, Delaware, Henninger, Syracuse Latin, Lincoln, Nottingham, Roberts, Seymour and Webster. RFPs, design and planning will start on these projects this year.

SCSD continues to have the preeminent Career and Technical Education programs in Central New York. The District offers CTE programs in more than 30 fields of study – allowing students to get an early start on a college degree or preparing them for good careers immediately after high school. Next fall, in partnership with Onondaga Community College and Micron, students will be able to join a new Semiconductor Technology program and begin earning college credits in high school so they are ready to enter the expanding CHIP industry as soon as possible.

I want our children to have best-in-class resources for learning and athletics, because they deserve it. People have all kinds of misconceptions about our young people, and sometimes it can be ugly and hurtful.

Unfortunately, members of the PSLA@Fowler football team faced that on the road last fall. Our athletes were subjected to on-field racial slurs and dirty plays that weren’t called. They tried to keep playing but the words continued and eventually there was a fight on the field. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the game had to be stopped. And, because our players were not without fault themselves, the District held them accountable and required the team to forfeit their final game.

None of us can know what it felt like to be on that field that night nor can we say how we would have reacted. Members of the team, along with their Coach, are here with us tonight. I want you to know this: we support you. We’ve got your back and want only the best for you on and off the field. Please stand and be recognized.

Housing is at the core of neighborhood stability. I’m immensely proud of the work already being done by the city Department of Neighborhood and Business Development “NBD” to improve housing and strengthen our neighborhood business corridors.

Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative

The Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative “RNI” which we introduced in 2020 gave us a head start on responding to the growing demand for quality housing. The RNI Infill Housing Strategy set an audacious goal to construct 200 new units of affordable single- and two-family homes on scattered sites throughout the city, and I’m pleased to report that half of those units are already built or underway. Tonight, I’m excited to announce that with our partners at Home Headquarters, we will start work on 40 more homes in 2024. Housing Visions will also be underway with Creekside Landing, which will add more than fifty new housing units – 20 on West Onondaga Street with Jubilee Homes and 16 two-family homes throughout the south and west sides.

NBD is working with other partners on big projects to bring hundreds of new rental units online beginning in 2025. At the former Syracuse Developmental Center, demolition starts this year to make way for more than 500 units of mixed-income housing. At the long vacant Maria Regina campus on Court Street, the financing is lined up to create around 180 units of badly needed affordable senior housing on the northside.

In other neighborhoods, the City is pushing projects forward that will rehabilitate or replace many hundreds of existing affordable housing units. The financing and design plans for the first phase of the East Adams Neighborhood Transformation are actively underway and construction will begin in 2025. This multi-phase plan will include a 1:1 replacement of all Syracuse Housing Authority public housing units in that neighborhood and include some new mixed-income apartments, totaling 1,400 units of new housing on the southside. At Eastwood Heights, SHA will be getting started later this year with a full rehabilitation of more than 50 affordable senior apartments. Moyer Carriage Lofts by Housing Visions and Redev CNY in the old Penfield Building on the north side is completing 128 affordable units including housing for vulnerable residents. And the deplorable rental units at Vincent Apartments are now prepared for redevelopment, with the Skyline Apartments scheduled soon to follow. We expect that will bring about 600 units of workforce housing back online, and there’s more in the pipeline.

Tonight, at a time of urgent need in our region, I am making a housing promise: Syracuse will have 2,500 new units of quality housing completed or underway before I leave office at the end of 2025.

Meeting the housing needs of a big city is more than a financing and construction challenge. Patty Lynch knows it is a people business. She was born and raised on the northside and is now NBD’s housing stability coordinator. Patty gives a big part of her life to helping Syracuse’s housing vulnerable find stable places to live. What’s most amazing is Patty doesn’t manage any properties or run rental assistance programs. What she does do is care.

Patty’s gift as a housing matchmaker has been put to the test in the past year. Taking action on places like Skyline and Vincent required relocations in numbers we’ve never seen before. Frankly, I wonder where we’d be without Patty right now – and I rest a little easier knowing we have her. Patty is here with us tonight, please stand and be recognized so we can all show you our appreciation.

NBD has many housing priorities, but there is none greater than protecting children and families from lead poisoning. 2023 was the first full year of implementation of the City’s new lead ordinance, developed in close coordination with the Council. The results are encouraging. Since implementing the program, Code Enforcement inspectors have issued lead paint violations at nearly 2,200 properties. In almost half of those cases, the landlords have already addressed the condition. For the rest, the City will ensure the work gets done. We could not do this work without the strong support of the Common Council and Onondaga County. There are thousands more properties that still need lead hazard mitigation, so your continued support and collaboration will be critical.

In addition to lead paint risk, the City Water Department is replacing more lead services that bring water to homes than ever before. It expects to complete another 2,100 in the next two years.

Syracuse Housing Strategy

I don’t believe any Common Council and Administration have made more progress to improve housing conditions than we have in the past six years. During that time, the number of vacant properties citywide has decreased by 33%, from 1,650 down to just over 1,000. Unfortunately, it’s still not nearly enough. Decades of job loss and population decline did severe damage to the city’s housing stock.

Earlier this year we completed the Syracuse Housing Study, one of the most in-depth housing analysis ever done by a city. The study finds the city is burdened with two separate but related problems – we have both a market gap and an affordability gap.

The market gap is the difference between what it costs to create and maintain housing and the market’s willingness to pay for it; the affordability gap is the difference between what it costs to create and maintain housing and the market’s ability to pay for it.  Because of these interconnected constraints, there’s hardly a block in Syracuse that doesn’t have a house that’s been deprived of proper care. Most of the time, it’s many houses - block after block - that badly need attention. But the cost of upgrading the properties exceeds what the market is willing or able to pay. The cost of solving these problems – as much as $1.5 billion – far exceeds our available resources.

Working with the Council, we’ve taken a critical first step with the formation of the Syracuse Housing Trust Fund. It will give us more tools and financial capacity to construct, renovate, repair and rehabilitate housing in the city.

We are now underway with a Syracuse Housing Strategy, which will provide a roadmap for how to address the issues raised by the study in the coming years. It will build on our existing housing programs and will require collaborative and non-traditional strategies. We will need to bring new support and assistance to struggling homeowners, especially in transitional, or “bridge” neighborhoods. By bolstering these stable but moderately distressed neighborhoods, we will halt further decline and build more areas of strength faster. 

As we rehabilitate the city’s housing stock, we will also reinvigorate our neighborhood business corridors. Last year, we allocated $1 million in ARPA funds to eight distressed properties located in business corridors throughout the city. We also launched a new program called Proud Places, to partner city staff with neighbors in identifying and addressing health and property concerns.

Neighborhood business corridors have environmental challenges, too. Sam Abdel wanted to breathe new life into a long vacant gas station that had been an eyesore on South Geddes Street for many years. With the help of our Business Development team, Sam, along with his son and nephew, Ahmad and Sam, successfully opened the Deli@700 on Geddes last year. Building on a lot of foot traffic and the daily car volume heading to and from the westside, their business is thriving. In fact, they are in the process of expanding into a new location in the former Luigi’s Restaurant located on Valley Drive. Ahmad and Sam are here tonight. Please stand and be recognized.

We need more of these businesses, so later this year the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation will launch the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund. With $1 million in EPA funding, it will support the redevelopment of longtime vacant and contaminated sites that are ready for reuse.

Our best-known neighborhood business district is Downtown, and it continues to thrive. In addition to City Center, the transformation of Symphony Tower just across the street – after almost two decades of vacancy – is nearly complete.  The stunning Treasury, just two blocks up the street in the old Onondaga Savings Bank, is occupied and open.  Downtown is home to more than 2,800 housing units, and that is projected to grow at least another 13% in the next three years. Last year, retail occupancy downtown increased 80% for the first time in more than a decade. Just outside these windows in Armory Square, the business district that arguably took the biggest hit during the pandemic, is poised to be back and better than ever this year with the long-anticipated opening of several more new businesses in prominent locations.

To help ensure the healthy growth of our neighborhood corridors and districts, it is important to hold bad businesses accountable. Through the tireless work of our offices of Code Enforcement and Corporation Counsel, we are cracking down on retail stores that are operating unlawfully. When retail businesses fail to comply with our local laws, they put the public’s health at risk. This will not be tolerated.

As I mentioned earlier, this is the fifth anniversary of the Syracuse Surge. First and foremost, it is an economic development strategy aimed to ensure our people are trained and ready to fill job opportunities to meet the growing demands of the New Economy. The hardest work being done is preparing city residents – with a strong focus on women, people of color and veterans – to excel in the technology careers of the future.

Lead by Centerstate CEO and supported by many public and private sector partners, Syracuse Surge workforce programs have already delivered some pretty impressive numbers; we’ve put about 1,300 people through coding and digital skills training. Another 122 people have gone through advanced manufacturing training with 60% of them already working in the field. And the Syracuse Surge Accelerator – an incubator program for BIPOC entrepreneurs – currently has five dynamic businesses in the program. We plan to expand the Accelerator in 2024. Le Moyne College’s ERIE21, a Syracuse Surge program that provides city students and adults with tech-centered pathways to good careers, has already trained nearly 1,500 of our students.

Nancy Martinez, a city resident and Henninger alumna, knows firsthand how Syracuse Surge is prepping people for technology careers. She’s the product of a proud Mexican-American family, who moved to Syracuse from Mexico in 1999. In 2022, Nancy graduated from Le Moyne College as a psychology major and last summer she was an OnPoint for College Summer Fellow with the City of Syracuse. She worked in information technology and data governance, while also participating in ERIE21. Nancy is now a full-time IT coordinator at Le Moyne where she will soon earn the ERIE 21 Cybersecurity Certificate, credentials that are in high demand in the New Economy. Joined by Le Moyne President Linda LeMura, Nancy is here tonight. Nancy, you are what the Syracuse Surge is all about. Please stand and be recognized.

Brick and mortar projects that prepare our workforce and provide tech jobs are a major component of the Syracuse Surge, especially on the Southside Campus for the New Economy. Last December, with Governor Hochul, County Executive McMahon, Superintendent Davis, Micron and Amazon leaders and many local partners, we broke ground on the biggest and most transformational project on the Southside Campus: the STEAM High School at the long vacant former Central Tech. By fall of 2025, we expect to open a state-of-the-art school that will welcome students from across the OCM BOCES region, bringing city and suburban young people together to get the finest STEAM education available anywhere. And students at STEAM and ITC will also soon have their own athletic field at Roesler Park. The Southside Campus is also coming to life with other major projects, like the JMA Wireless campus, the new Syracuse Community Health Center, and the Tech Garden expansion.

In her State of the State address earlier this month, Governor Hochul announced a next level commitment to job preparation for local people. Our City will be home to an innovative workforce development hub: a seamless “front door” to job seekers and firms looking for talent in Construction and Manufacturing. As the “flagship” hub across Upstate, this project is exactly what we hoped the Southside Campus would attract to Syracuse.

Community Grid Vision Plan

The City of Syracuse is also working with New York State on another transformative initiative for the region: the Community Grid project. Construction on this massive project started this past year, and despite litigation still trying to stop it, we will see significant work move into the city later this year.

Next month, we will release the City’s Community Grid Vision Plan. It is a full-throated endorsement of the Community Grid and shows how Syracuse can maximize this once in a generation opportunity. A multi-decade vision plan, it looks at how we can enhance the street network today and how city neighborhoods can evolve in the future. The “north star” of the vision plan is people – not cars. That means it puts the highest priority on pedestrians, bicycles, affordable housing, safe intersections and sidewalks. Once the viaduct is gone, it envisions a vibrant and walkable Almond Street lined with mixed-use buildings – including multi-story towers that Syracuse hasn’t seen built in many decades.

High-rise apartment building on Almond Street

This kind of growth isn’t a “future fantasy”: it’s starting now. Tonight, I’m excited to tell you the first major mixed-use development designed for a post-viaduct Almond Street is being proposed. A developer with a strong track record of success in the City intends to build a 14-story high-rise apartment building on the northeast corner of East Fayette and Almond with quality housing for people with a wide range of incomes. The plans include 300 units of housing with first floor commercial space. The project is just beginning the local review process – but it’s a clear indication of the potential of the Community Grid already coming to fruition. 

This project will be mixed income thanks to the new Syracuse zoning requirement that mandates residential development of 20 or more units must offer a minimum of 10% and up to 12% affordable housing. This requirement was a major component of ReZone Syracuse. Councilors, I thank you for approving the new zoning ordinance and map last year. It was a long journey, but we got it done. 

Lifestyle community at dormant Lafayette Country Club

I have a second major housing announcement tonight also enabled by ReZone Syracuse and the Community Grid project. A developer is proposing the redevelopment of the long dormant Lafayette Country Club for a lifestyle community that will bring 270 units of quality new homes to the city property. It will have a mix of single-family homes and – because of provisions for new housing types in ReZone – it will also include duplex townhomes that were not allowed under the old zoning code.  The developers know, with the Community Grid plan, their new residents will have easy access to the northern suburbs, and convenient access throughout the city.

As one of the largest public infrastructure projects happening in the nation right now, the 81 project presents never before seen workforce opportunities for local people. Working closely with the Urban Jobs Task Force, State DOT, organized labor and multiple local partners, we are doing everything possible to ensure that happens for our city residents. The data and eyewitness accounts show the first 81 job sites are on track to meet the aggressive goals for local hiring set for the project. Syracuse Build, our workforce and jobs training program, has prepared nearly 86 people for apprenticeships in the construction industry – the start of sustainable good paying careers.

Syracuse Build and Syracuse Surge workforce programs pay special attention to those who haven’t always benefitted from economic growth in the past, including veterans. With the resources and leadership of Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, more than 500 people have been helped by SyracuseServes in the two years since we started the program. I’m deeply grateful to Chancellor Kent Syverud for his vision and commitment to veterans. Now, I want the city to do even more.

Last September, I served as a guardian for Honor Flight. It was an inspiring day in our nation’s capital. I had the pleasure of accompanying Central New York veteran Joe Fraccola who served in the Army and was awarded the Purple Heart in the Vietnam War.

Purple Heart City and Hometown Heroes

On Joe’s suggestion, Syracuse will take two big steps this year to honor our city veterans. First, we’re going to become a Purple Heart City, a declaration I will make by proclamation this spring prior to Memorial Day. We will install Purple Heart City signage paying tribute not just to those who are awarded the Purple Heart but all who served in combat. And second, we’re going to start the Hometown Heroes program, which allows family members to sponsor large banners on select city streets recognizing their active-duty service person or veteran loved one – living or deceased.

This year, in partnership with the Dunbar American Legion Post, we will also advance The Minority Veterans and Service Members Memorial at Kirk Park, which will celebrate the contributions and sacrifices of minority veterans and service members in Syracuse.

Along with serving your country, there’s no more noble calling than serving to protect your community. Public safety is essential to stable neighborhoods and economic investment, and I believe the Syracuse Police and Syracuse Fire departments are doing work that is leading New York State and the nation.

Syracuse Fire Department

The nearly 370 brave and dedicated people of the Syracuse Fire Department responded to nearly 30,000 alarms in 2023, the most in department history, including 83 major structure fires. The average response time was just two minutes and 53 seconds – the best in Onondaga County. I am proud to announce that SFD has once again earned the highest possible score from the national organization that grades communities on fire suppression – a rating achieved by less than 1% of fire departments in the country. In addition to documenting excellence, the ISO 1 certification also means lower fire insurance costs for residents.

Last summer, the department started training in its new fire tower which better prepares our crews to battle flames in taller buildings. SFD has already trained 8,400 hours in the new tower.

And leading the state in health protection, the SFD launched its first-ever Cancer Reduction Program for Firefighters to address the hard reality that fire professionals face a significantly higher risk of developing and dying from cancer. The department’s outstanding Fire Prevention Bureau – which installs smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and conducts a comprehensive year-round community education program – received the Onondaga County Boynton Award which recognizes outstanding fire prevention programs for children and youth.

With all those accomplishments, it’s no surprise that our Fire Chief Michael Monds was named the New York State Fire Chief of the Year in 2023. In addition to his 23-year record of service, the honor called out his tireless work in community education and recruitment. Chief, the award reflects what I have always known: Syracuse has the best fire department and the best fire chief in the nation. Chief Monds, please stand and be recognized for your leadership and commitment to this city.

Mike Monds inspires people to careers in public safety. So does a 16 year-old PSLA@Fowler student named Nolen Carney. For as long as Nolen and his family can remember, he’s dreamed of being a Syracuse firefighter, like his uncle and cousin before him. Last September, Nolen and his dad were traveling on West Genesee Street when they saw a man unconscious on the sidewalk. They kept a dose of Narcan in the car, so instead of driving by, they pulled over. Nolen jumped out and used the skills he learned as a cadet in the fire rescue program to administer the opioid antidote and perform CPR. He is credited with saving that man’s life and taking another step toward achieving his dream of joining the SFD. Nolen and his dad, Kevin, are here tonight along with his classmates and instructors. Please all stand and be recognized.

Syracuse Police Department

Under the experienced and steady command of Chief Joe Cecile, I’d put the Syracuse Police Department up against any police force in America for the way they are responding to an ever-changing public safety landscape. Violent crime was down more than six percent last year, a significant improvement after a period of increases following COVID-19. Gun crimes, in particular, were way down. Incidents of shootings with injury or death were down 36%. Property crime on the other hand – driven largely by the spike in stolen vehicles – was up 26%. Chief and his command staff, working with local government and community partners, are implementing effective initiatives to fight back against these and all types of crime.

In a major positive change this past fall, the department fully implemented a new work schedule, which allows for an overlap of staff during peak call times, and puts more officers on the streets when they are needed most. It also allows more walking beats and bike patrols and is better for officer wellbeing. And the new schedule is improving response times. The average “minutes to dispatch” was reduced by nearly 30% after introducing the new schedule. 

Despite national challenges with recruiting, we continue to hire new officers and lateral transfers. And the Syracuse Police Department Cadet Program is currently preparing 10 members as prospective candidates to become police officers. The next class is scheduled to start in July.

In Syracuse and cities around the country, there is an epidemic of people struggling with addiction, mental health and homelessness. SPD is leading the way in building partnerships to implement alternative policing strategies. The department has begun Crisis Intervention Training for officers and is bringing mental health and crisis counselors on regular shifts to respond to these sensitive calls in minutes.

With the creation of the Mayor’s Office to Reduce Gun Violence, SPD has a new partner in coordinating the work of anti-gun violence. With approval by the Common Council late last summer, we are starting the Safer Streets program next month. It is based on a model that has been proven to reduce gun violence in other cities. The Office is contracting with community partners who will work directly with our highest risk young people who are ready to escape gun violence. Instead of wringing our hands over the crisis of gun violence, Safer Streets is an example of how we must take the initiative to protect our youth.

The department’s Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – or CPTED program – is also helping improve safety. CPTED is a holistic approach that addresses physical conditions that contribute to crime: overgrowth, lack of lighting, vacant buildings and open lots with trash and debris. They’re places where guns are hidden and illegal activity takes root. SPD is working with departments across city government – DPW, Parks, Code Enforcement, and Law – to clean up high risk areas.

Andy Jakubowski, superintendent of the DPW Environmental Services Bureau, is a critical part of the CPTED effort. Andy grew up in Eastwood and graduated from Henninger. Everyday, Andy and his team are on city streets doing litter pickups and cleaning up after illegal dumping and code violations. They’re a rapid response crew to all kinds of messes. According to SPD, “Andy and his crew work so harmoniously, it’s like watching a performance as they clean up a block.” Andy and two members of the Environmental Services team, Herb Ratchford and Jim Kurak are here tonight. Please stand and be recognized so we can thank you for making Syracuse cleaner – and safer.

I am also pleased to report the Syracuse Police Athletic and Activities League is entering its third full year in operation, and continues to expand.

As you can see, Chief Cecile and his team understand maintaining safe neighborhoods is not just their duty – it’s all of ours. I admire the way SPD is working in partnership to keep us all safe.

Deliver city services effectively, efficiently and equitably

Our second major objective to being a growing city is to deliver efficient, effective and equitable city services. Becoming New York’s Flagship Smart City is a critical piece in achieving that objective, as is developing new services to meet the evolving needs of our constituents.

Broadband access and reliable Wi-Fi are critical infrastructure for a Smart City, and have become essential services for our community. This year, with the help of ARPA funding, we launched SurgeLink, a free broadband service that will serve about 2,500 eligible households in Syracuse’s Southwest, Near Westside, and Brighton neighborhoods. This new service, along with our digital empowerment program, led to Syracuse recently being named a National Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. We’ll continue to expand SurgeLink and other digital programs to other parts of the city.

Tonight, I have another exciting announcement: in 2024, the City of Syracuse will introduce free public Wi-Fi at our larger city parks. This will add to our Wi-Fi network at City Hall, One Park Place and five neighborhood community centers.

As we introduced new services in 2023, we also made big changes to improve old ones.  Last year, we successfully introduced semi-automated trash pickup with wheeled, covered trash carts citywide. It’s the biggest operational change city government has taken on in decades, and it is working extraordinarily well. Injuries to sanitation workers are down dramatically. With support from the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, more than 99% of setouts are complying with our trash requirements; service to residents is improved; and we’re already seeing less trash and litter on the streets. Tonight, I have some new data to report: Last year we saved about $100,000 on landfill fees because of reduced volume. And that’s for only part of the year.

As the Council is painfully aware, it wasn’t always easy. We got some pretty harsh feedback on social media, and I even received a few “mean tweets:”

“Whoever decided this was a good idea and mandated it, should be fired.” Uh...that’d be me.

“More PR for the Mayor. Fluff. Waste of money.” Ouch.

Change is always hard and when you’re impacting more than 33,000 properties, you are bound to get a few bad tweets. But our team did an outstanding job implementing this massive change as evidenced, in part, by tweets like these: “It’s about time! :)” and, “The new trash carts are great. Bring on recycling.”

On that front, I have good news. We plan to introduce semi-automated recycling pickup in 2024. Our team will be meeting with the Council next month to discuss the details of the rollout plan and implementation.

Delivering efficient, effective and equitable services also means providing sidewalks, roads and transportation options that work for everyone.

In 2023 we reconstructed more than 14 miles of city streets, which is another big increase over what was done only six or seven years ago. With increased road reconstruction every year, we’re starting to see real data-based improvement in city road conditions. In six years, we’ve nearly doubled the roads rated in excellent condition; kept the good roads about the same; and cut the fair and poor roads by about 4.5% each.

Just two full construction seasons into the Municipal Sidewalk Program, the results are already evident here as well. Major stretches of sidewalks leading to schools, parks, shopping districts and other areas with high pedestrian and vehicle traffic have been reconstructed. In 2023, DPW fixed more than 12 miles of sidewalks – up from seven miles in the first full year of the program and four the year before that.

We also expanded our speed hump program designed to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety.  This year we added 11 asphalt cushions on five city streets. Data on these installations shows evidence of lower speeds, which is why we will construct more this year.

These programs all support our drive to become a Vision Zero City, an international program that seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Last year, we started the process of creating a Vision Zero plan for Syracuse, which is a requirement to earn the distinction. It’s a massive undertaking that covers roads, land use, law enforcement and public transportation. That work continues this year with a goal of bringing a comprehensive approach to the Council in 2025.

And Centro reports that it is still on track for the start of Bus Rapid Transit – which will bring increased frequency and special buses and stops to Syracuse – in 2026.

Your city is making sure our Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs deliver effective, efficient and equitable services to city residents, too.

The Parks department welcomed new leadership this year: Tony Williams as commissioner and Chris Abbott as deputy commissioner. Tony is new to City government and has an extensive background in facilities, fitness and wellness. Chris has been with Parks for more than 20 years and has helped build our outstanding lineup of recreation programs.

From new picnic tables and better playgrounds to chair yoga for seniors and eSports for city youth, Tony, Chris and their teams are making improvements to virtually every program and facility in the Parks portfolio. They finished an innovative new Hexagonal Basketball Court at Huntington Park in Eastwood. It’s a six-sided court ideally suited to smaller games and shooting practice for multiple users at once.

Our forestry team is strengthening the city’s tree canopy. There’s no better example than Schiller Park where the urban forest at the roundtop is being restored with the clearance of acres of invasive overgrowth. Made possible with funding secured by Assemblyman Magnarelli, this project is restoring spectacular views and creating healthier trees and a better sense of safety.

You may not know it, but for years Parks, along with Syracuse Police, have been a part of our animal welfare team, along with our dedicated shelter partner at Barks and Rec. Like other communities in America, Syracuse is facing a crisis of strays since COVID-19. In response, Parks worked with the County and multiple community partners to reestablish a canine shelter and adoption facility at the former Second Chance facility in Jamesville. It will help serve the overflow of stray city dogs.

The Parks Department, which is responsible for maintenance of the Onondaga Creekwalk, as well as the Empire State Trail in the City, will be part of an exciting plan to add a new trail in the city. I’m pleased to announce tonight that thanks to a nearly $1 million grant delivered by State Senator Rachel May, we will start design on a new Westside Trail project traveling through Lipe Art Park, over the railroad bridges at Geddes Street, and up to Tipp Hill. Early plans include greenway treatments to the Near Westside neighborhood and to the West Street crosswalk that connects to the Creekwalk.

I think parks, trails and the natural environment are the “crown jewels” of a city. We will continue to make ours the best they can be for our center of growth.

Provide quality constituent engagement and response

Delivering quality constituent engagement and response is the third of our growing city objectives.

Cityline is the “frontline” for constituent inquiries and service. It’s comprised of a phone center at 315-448-CITY; an online app; and social media. Cityline fields more than 36,000 inquiries annually from constituents.

2023 was the first full year of the completely rebuilt city website at syr.gov. Led by our Office of Communications and Digital Services team, we transitioned thousands of pages of content from the old site and redesigned the new site for vastly better user experience and optimum performance on all platforms. Simply stated, syr.gov is easier to use and better to look at.

Achieve fiscal sustainability

The fourth and final objective to be a growing city is achieving fiscal sustainability.

I made a firm commitment to the City’s financial well-being when I became Mayor. Back then, many considered us on track to bankruptcy. Through careful fiscal management, we put an end to that narrative. Our bond ratings were upgraded in 2022, which we’ve maintained, and we continue to identify new ways to generate savings and revenue. Despite this progress, the City still spends more on the vital services residents deserve than we take in from taxes, fees, and state aid.

Clearly, that is not a sustainable position, which is why we launched a Revenue Enhancement Workgroup last year, with the goal of generating an additional $20 million in annual income. We partnered with members of the Common Council, sought some outside advice, and called on City departments to brainstorm solutions.

Most significant was hiring outside expertise to advise the City on cash management. In fiscal year 2023, that yielded just over $2 million. In fiscal year 2024, we have achieved an over $7 million return. By the close of this fiscal year in June, we should achieve half of our overall target from this one initiative.

Finally, the City’s Finance and Budget team will continue to work with department heads to find opportunities for increased efficiencies. I have always maintained that we cannot cut our way to prosperity, we must grow. But at the same time, we have an obligation to taxpayers to ensure that every dollar the City spends is a necessary dollar.

We have other large scale change initiatives underway that are profoundly important and worth mentioning.

Supported by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab and Bloomberg Philanthropies, we are starting year two of the Procurement Transformation Program. The City spends a lot of money every year. This program is engaging every single department to make sure the way we buy things is results-driven, more efficient, and more equitable.

We have an Asset Management Group to make sure the City’s property and land holdings are delivering maximum value. Late last year, the Council authorized the sale of City Hall Commons – generating revenue for the city, letting private sector money restore the historic building and, best of all, putting it back on the tax rolls. We’ve already moved our staff to better and less expensive space at One Park Place.

Asset Management is taking on another major challenge. We’re going to move the Police and Fire Department’s from the outdated Public Safety Building, generate value from our interest in the property, and rent space that is better and cheaper. Best of all, the new site on the west side is just down the street from PSLA@Fowler and will bring activity and investment to the neighborhood business corridor along Geddes Street.

Nobody likes talking about taxes or assessment, but we need to. The Assessment Department, using a data centric approach, reassessed about 7,500 properties last year. That’s a 40% increase over the prior year and represents real progress to enhance the equity of our assessment rolls. It’s needed as we continue to analyze if, or more likely when, we should launch a citywide revaluation.

During the past six years, we’ve had a relentless focus on being a data driven city. Building on the effective iTeam, we created the Office of Accountability, Performance and Innovation. Recognizing the growing importance of data in government, that team is now Analytics, Performance and Innovation.

With the help of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Syracuse is a global leader in using data for good government. In 2021, we were proud to receive the What Works Cities silver certification, and last year we leveled up to gold. Before I leave City Hall, I’m determined to make data-informed decision-making part of the DNA of Syracuse city government.

In closing, tonight we’ve done a full status report on the four objectives that have guided us to being a growing city.

We didn’t do this alone. The people in this room – the people of this community – contributed to our progress. At a pivotal point in our community history, the city is well positioned as a center of growth.

After all this time focused on the critical role of Syracuse to our collective futures, I went back and asked ChatGPT, "Why are cities important?" Here is what it said: "In the intricate tapestry of human existence, cities are the vibrant threads that weave together culture, innovation, and societal growth."

Wow, I’d agree.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., who, for the record, was a real person, the great writer, educator and doctor of the 1800s, said it even better: “The axis of the earth sticks out visibly through the centre of each and every town or city.”

Ladies and gentleman Syracuse’s axis tonight is here in City Center, where five years ago we launched the Syracuse Surge and laid down our vision of being a growing city that embraces diversity and creates opportunity for all.

Friends, as long as we stay on our course and continue to collaborate, Syracuse’s best days are still ahead of us. And I look forward to getting there together.

Thank you, God bless and have a good night.