David R. Roefaro, Mayor

City of Utica, New York

One Hundred Days of Progress // April 9, 2008

One hundred days ago I had the honor of being inaugurated Utica's 75^th Mayor in the Common Council Chambers of City Hall. I spoke about a "We're in this together" mentality to move Utica forward. Well, one hundred days later I'm here to tell you, it is working. In one hundred days, we have accomplished more than I could have ever dreamed of, because we've taken the motto "We're in this together" and applied it to every office and every person who walks through our doors.

I want to begin this report with one of our City's greatest challenges - Public Safety. Are we doing enough? Are you safer? The answer to those questions is yes. Our Public Safety Commissioner Dan Labella has been going above and beyond the call of duty, and had quickly gained the respect of both the Police and Fire Departments.

In regard to Public Safety, we've committed a large part of our city budget to its efforts, because without public safety, no other initiatives can be successful. Without Public Safety, there IS no City. We've put TWO officers in patrol cars for high crime areas of the city (at no cost to the taxpayers). We have residents calling my office each day telling us that their neighborhoods are safer. I had one woman tell me that she's even noticed her neighborhood was quieter.

Additionally, through outside grant funding, we've placed cameras in our patrol cars. We're protecting everyone when we do that. By working with members of the Common Council, we've identified hot spots of crime, and have also placed stationary cameras in those areas. Those who feel the need to break the law now know they are being watched by a silent witness. We used cameras during our St. Patrick's Day celebrations on Varick Street to ensure the safety of the thousands of people gathered to celebrate. The tavern owners and attendees both thanked us.

We are investing in non-lethal alternatives. Our police department is now armed with state of the art tasers. These non-lethal weapons are providing choices to our hard working Police officers who face dangerous situations.

We've also made reporting crime easier. This administration has put more officers on our street by allowing the Telephone Incident Reporting System to take police reports for insurance purposes. Where we would normally be sending an officer from the street, we are now embracing the technology that provides our taxpayers with the safety they deserve. We've also approved the hiring of eight new officers. I'm here to tell you that those officers will make a difference on our streets.

In the coming months I can also assure you that you will begin to see more proactive measures being taken. Look for new initiatives aimed at proactive policing in the areas of Cornhill, West Utica and the rest of the city. I can promise you all that Utica will be an example of the phrase, "Crime Doesn't Pay."

Let's also talk about the Utica Fire Department. We have, and continue to benefit from the State's finest example of fire education with our state of the art training center. Chief Brooks is doing a great job recruiting area fire academies to Utica and providing our City with revenues from that training center. Our Hazmat team is also among the most trained in the country and is a vital part of the safety each of us depends on. Our ambulance service is also praised by those of you have used it and an example of finding other ways to provide exemplary service to Utica's families. Lastly, I want to thank everyone at the Utica Fire Department for their courageous efforts at last weeks Whitesboro Street fire. You pulled survivors from that blaze and you did it because you are all heroes. Thank you.

Our public is safer than it was one hundred days ago and I look forward to a safe summer. I look forward to more phone calls complementing our Public Safety efforts and I know this summer will be one where our residents are noticing, really noticing, that crime is down. 

Second on my list of priorities is Economic Development. We have a talented team, working on this city's economic goals and for the sake of being candid, let's face it - Utica is not in great shape economically right now. We have a limited municipal bonding capacity. We have experienced a significant reduction in Federal formula grant funding such as CDBG and HOME funds. Both the City's property tax and sales tax revenues have been stagnant, and it becomes harder to meet the standard projected 2%-3% sales tax revenue growth in recent years. And to top it all off, we are entering a tough period for both the state and national economy.

Yes, these are all very real, very large challenges. Yes, it will take a lot of hard work. Yes, hard choices will have to be made. AND YES, IT CAN BE DONE. In the end, by working together, we will be successful.

Since our first day in office, we have been working closely with business and community leaders to establish goals and objectives to better our City's economic climate. In the first one hundred days we have identified five key initiatives. We've also developed a plan to successfully carry them out. Thanks also the transition team, we've got a solid foundation for understanding how we are going to get to exactly where we want to go. These initiatives include:

The Comprehensive Master Plan – Although the City of Utica is continuously involved in isolated planning activities, the community's collective vision for the future has not been re-evaluated in total since 1950- when the current master plan was written. Since that time, major changes have occurred. It is critical that a new vision for the future of Utica be developed immediately.

This project will result in a comprehensive plan based on citizen input for the entire City of Utica. The master plan will summarize the vision for an improved environmental, architectural and social downtown setting; add to the overall quality of life of the community; and improve the regional economy by stimulating redevelopment and selectively targeting businesses for recruitment and expansion.

In February, we developed a Request for Proposals, and will be selecting a consultant in the coming weeks to complete a Comprehensive Plan for the City of Utica. The Common Council has a resolution pending in support of this project, and we are actively seeking outside grants and legislative member items to fund the initiative.

The Urban Renewal Agency – Just last week, we completed the consolidation of the Urban Renewal Department into to the Urban and Economic Development Department, under the watch of Bob Sullivan, in order to save money and provide better, more integrated customer service.

A Downtown Parking Garage – Architectural plans, regulatory compliance, and funding commitments are being finalized for a downtown Multi-Modal Transportation Center and parking structure, and we expect to have a shovel in the ground within twelve months.

The Oneida Square Façade Improvement Project - The City, in partnership with GroWest and the New York Main Street Grant initiative, will complete a major commercial façade improvement program for the Oneida Square district to stimulate retail development and private investment in this very visible, highly-trafficked area of downtown.

We cut the ribbon for the new Dunkin' Donuts now open on Schuyler Street in West Utica, and we had a ground breaking ceremony this week for another Dunkin' Donuts to be built on Mohawk Street in East Utica. That's a lot of Dunkin'

These projects are the main priorities for the Urban and Economic Development Department, and require much staff time and attention. But, there are many less visible day-to-day changes taking place in the culture of the department as well.

• We have a much closer collaboration than ever before with Mohawk Valley EDGE, Genesis, The Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Utica Development Association

• We are reaching out to area elected officials on a regular basis to engage them right from the start of the planning process

• We are exploring different collaborative development projects, including an on-going effort to fill the Harza building

• We are developing contracts with outside vendors to provide specific technical expertise in specialized areas of job creation, including historic tax credits and green technologies

• We have hired a full-time Grants Administrator, Pam Jardieu, (a position that has not been in place for years). We are aggressively pursuing outside funding for a wide range of activities including parks beautification; a shared computer database for the Codes, Fire and Police departments; and historic preservation.

I also want to speak briefly about some other departments:

 Codes - We've secured funding for more codes officers, new cars, and technology for the Codes Department. These improvements will allow better enforcement, faster customer response times and will generate income for the City. Special thanks to Goran Smiljic, our new codes commissioner.

Information Technology - Instead of hiring more IT staff, we have hired IT consultants to evaluate our needs and goals in order become more proactive and not reactive to the buildings technology needs.

Corporation Counsel - We've consolidated the five part-time corporation counsel attorneys to two part-time and one full-time attorney. Our full time attorney, Joan Harris is handling all codes cases in an effort to get the violators through the court system more efficiently. Joan is doing a great job.

Human Resources Department - We have created an internal HR department, and now have the professional legal channels for employees to utilize. We've also gone a step further. We've hired Mr. Richard Frank. He will be a liaison for the recruitment of minorities. We are also working with the NAACP and bringing them into City Hall to help us recruit more minorities to the Police and Fire departments.

DPW - We've reduced the DPW's payroll of unnecessary administrative titles, and in the process stopped unwarranted overtime - all of it. This streamlining will result in a savings to the taxpayers of over $100,000.

Parks - We're also re-committing to "The Liberty Elm Tree Project". For those of us who remember Utica's tree-lined streets, I'm here to tell you that we are well on our way to becoming a City rich with trees again. This summer we will complete another phase of reforestation on Genesee Street, with the project scheduled for completion in 2013.

Our Youth Bureau - Youth sport camps will open this summer for kids from 7 to 13, and will include instructional programming in track/field, football, baseball/softball, tennis, basketball, bowling, golf, boxing and swimming. Children will have the opportunity to learn fundamentals in each sport and at the end of the program, compete with other participants. Each program will relocate each week to different parks around the city to give children without transportation an equal opportunity to learn.

The Budget – My team and I have also done away with a lot of unnecessary spending. In the past three months we have cut nearly $300,000 from the budget without sacrificing safety or services to our citizens However, as we all know, the cost of doing business has skyrocketed over the past few years, and government is not exempt. In response to this reality, the Common Council and I were forced to enact a tax increase of just about 4.5%. This figure is just over the national inflation rate, and will cost an average household a little over $3.00 per month. This small investment was necessary to maintain the outstanding level of City services that we now provide to all of our citizens.

Aside from these initiatives, we've also got some innovative projects underway. On January 1, 2008, Utica, NY went green. In February we secured a contract with Johnson Controls which is allowing City Hall and other municipal buildings to go green. Johnson Controls in changing outdated equipment and replacing it with energy efficient systems. This is at no cost to the taxpayers, and our savings next year will be substantial. This is the first step in becoming a sustainable and responsible energy community.

On another note, I want to let each of you know that my staff and I are advocating for you each and every day. This is important because even though you would like to think the government would be giving cities like us the most aid, and that's not always the case. Often times, if you want aid, if you want support, if you want this state to know what you need, you have to tell them yourself.

I am in Albany a few times each month to lobby for Utica. I always bring a few members of my staff. We're always getting asked what we are doing in Albany. It was a surprise for me to learn that Utica's officials had never made regular trips to Albany. To tell you the truth, they don't really know us that well. In fact, only a month ago, I became the first Mayor from Utica to lobby for RESTORE, NY funding on the floor of the New York State Assembly. My staff and I advocated for $5.5 million dollars to revitalize the Rutger-Steuben Historic District.

Lobbying is going to be a pillar of my administration because that's how you get things done in government. As in life, if you want something, you have to go and get it yourself. When we travel to Albany, we go there knowing exactly what we want. My staff and I are asked to speak, and the Capitol is listening. We're quickly becoming regulars.

We can also be proud of something else the City of Utica is embarking on. Never before has this City had a real relationship with the colleges in and around our neighborhoods. I'm not saying that there was never an effort put forth, just that nothing ever came of those discussions. Undeniably, with young people, especially college students, it's the City's job to initiate, follow up, and foster a relationship with the students. Young people hold the future of Utica in their hands and that's what my administration understands. Today, only one hundred days into my office, college students are no longer a stranger to the doors of City Hall-- From MVCC, to Utica College, and as far away as Colgate. We're working to bring young people back to this City.

Just last Friday, I was in Utica College having waffles with a large group of students. I simply went there to support them on their waffle night, on their time, and on their turf. I walked into Utica College at midnight and sat down to a doctored up waffle. Do you know what this says to our young people? It tells them that we care. It tells them that for the first time, the City of Utica is taking a real interest in them.

April 26^th at the Parkway Recreation Center will mark the first ever "College Town Project" initiative. Both my assistant Angelo and I have been working to hold an event that brings all of the schools and all of the young people together. On April 26, 2008, along with Genesis, Utica will bring SUNY IT, MVCC, Utica, Hamilton, and Colgate Colleges to one place, and for one purpose – TO KEEP THEM HERE. This event has taken months of planning and can only take place through the efforts of a broad coalition of private and public partners.

In closing, I want to leave each of you with an idea of what's to come. Woody Allen once said, "I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light." Well, I won't be - and am not, the Mayor of a city like that.

Look around us. Just the last week we reopened our Stanley Center for the Arts. In February, almost 1000 people showed up at the first ever Mayor's Charity Ball to support the Public Library. We've got a world class art museum and school. We've got buildings and parks that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And to top it all off, we are one of the most diverse communities in America. We are home to a huge refugee population, which bring us all the benefits of a true melting pot. We've got assets that no other community has, and you can bet that I'll be capitalizing on all of that in the future.

I want to thank my staff, all of whom have worked just as hard as me in these first one-hundred days, and I honestly mean that. City Hall is filled with people who stay through the night. Let me end by giving you a good example of the dedication of your public servants. One employee, James Morrison, works for the Codes Department, and he's a little different from you and I. Most of us put on our socks and shoes before we arrive to work, but every morning, James puts on his legs. He's lost both of them in the past year. Nevertheless, he comes in everyday smiling and working hard for this city.

It's people like James, who inspire me to move Utica forward. I will not let any of you down. This city is my home, it is my heart, and it is my hope. I look forward to the coming months, and the people my administration can help dream, believe, and pursue whatever they desire in Utica. And Remember, "We're in this together".

Thank You