Again – another round of applause for those who participated in the program, including the East High Panthers Vocal Ensemble, Justice Grayson, Reverend Cathy Dempesy, Reverend Dr. Ivery Daniels, and later Pastor Daniel Nieves, who will conclude today’s State of the City with the Benediction.
To my wife, Michelle and my family, thank you for your love and support.
To our new Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz - welcome. I wish you well, and look forward to working with you.
And to the City Council, its New President, Richard Fontana, and Majority Leader Demone Smith - thank you for working so hard on behalf of the residents of the City of Buffalo.
I also want to acknowledge the most recent class of Leadership Buffalo, over 50 who are here today.
You’ve heard the phrase: Timing is everything. There’s a great deal of truth in that statement. Since taking office in January 2006, I focused my administration on three guiding principles: improving our resident’s quality of life; strengthening our city’s economy; and ensuring greater efficiency and accountability in the delivery of city services.
I’m pleased to say that despite the uncertain economy that continues to impact every government and every household, the state of our city is strong!
Since 2006, I’ve cut taxes by over 15% and, I continue to create property tax certainty by honoring my pledge to freeze property taxes for three years. As a result of these efforts, Buffalo now has one of the lowest effective tax rates in the region. And, I’m proud to announce that Buffalo has its lowest tax rate in 20 years.
I am deeply honored to stand before you as Mayor at a time of remarkable change in Buffalo. We accomplished big things in 2011. We have even bigger plans for this year. I believe strongly that Buffalo is the economic engine for our region, bringing together the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
Here’s what I mean by ‘right people’.
Buffalo is fortunate to have a Governor who shares my strong vision for building a new Buffalo and a new New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s commitment of $1 billion to lure significant private sector investment will allow our city to do what Albany has done with billions in state investment – accelerate economic growth and create jobs. On behalf of our community, I am grateful for the Governor’s confidence in Buffalo.
I’m pleased that Governor Cuomo asked the WNY Regional Economic Development Council to spearhead the planning for the billion dollar investment. I am a proud member of this group that, under the leadership of University at Buffalo President Dr. Satish Tripathi, and Buffalo developer Howard Zemsky, succeeded in winning the highest award of $100 million, the most funding of any region in New York State.
Thank you for joining us today - Dr. Tripathi!
$41 million of this funding was awarded to projects in the city of Buffalo including the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the Buffalo Zoo, and the Riverside Apartments, which will convert the vacant School 60 into new housing for veterans, thanks to the leadership of Developer Gary Bichler and North District Councilmember Joseph Golombek.
Let me be clear: investment in Buffalo is building! A billion-dollars-worth of investment has already poured into our city through major public-private partnerships, creating new jobs and new growth. Construction work increased 18% last year, with major activity at the rapidly growing Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus, Erie County Medical Center, and The Larkin District. UB’s School of Medicine will soon move to Downtown Buffalo as part of SUNY 2020. In addition, last year the city issued building permits valued at $210 million, further evidence of progress in our city!
While continued economic growth is a priority, we must remain committed to getting our unemployed back to work. That’s why today I’m issuing a new challenge to all companies in the Buffalo area to hire at least one Buffalo resident in 2012.
We’re calling it HIRE BUFFALO! You will learn more about HIRE BUFFALO in the weeks to come. It is modeled after a nationally recognized program created in Atlanta that successfully put people to work. Imagine, if Erie County’s 22,000 companies each hired just one Buffalo resident full-time. That’s 22,000 new jobs for Buffalo residents!
I’d like to thank Jack Connors, President and Publisher of Business First for partnering with the City of Buffalo on this new initiative. Business First will recognize those companies that hire a full-time Buffalo resident in a weekly ad, both in print and on-line.
Thank you Jack, and Business First.
With strong leadership, we can all realize the promise of a good paying job. Just ask Erica Williams who represents hope. I invited her here today because she was one of the 1,800 job seekers who attended my Job Fair last fall and was hired.
I’d like Erica to stand up. Thank you, Erica, for joining us. And, I thank that your new employer, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
The RIGHT PEOPLE also include First Niagara Bank President and CEO John Koelmel. First Niagara’s purchase of 195 HSBC branches in 2011 saved 1,900 jobs, and brought the bank’s workforce to nearly 4,000 employees, with its headquarters located at the Larkin Building.
Thanks, John! I look forward to continuing this successful partnership with First Niagara Bank.
I also want to thank GOOGLE for partnering with my administration in 2011. We lured GOOGLE to our city to help 500 small business owners establish a free website, find new customers and grow their businesses to create jobs.
We are fortunate to have the right people in place in both the public and private sectors.
You can now step out of City Hall and see a hub of activity that didn’t exist a year ago. Today, Niagara Square has a new, magnificent $140 million Federal Courthouse, another sign of growth and positive change taking place in the city. I am pleased our efforts with the Western New York Congressional Delegation contributed to this downtown project.
It’s important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Federal Judges, the Honorable William Skretny and the Honorable Richard Arcara, who are with us today. Without their tireless persistence and unwavering commitment this transformational project would never have been completed.
And Statler City is open! No more concrete barricades. What could have been a lost treasure is now one of the cornerstones of downtown revival and development. The city worked with the bankruptcy trustee to preserve this structure and continues to work with the state to secure funding for the revitalization of this historic landmark.
When it comes to the ‘right people’, the hardworking men and women of Buffalo top the list.
In 2011, we said we’d shine during the high-profile National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference – the super bowl of cultural tourism.
We did – and this time we won!!!
The event set an attendance record, attracting over 2,500 preservationists from across the country.
Buffalonians were front and center, as was the city.
My administration provided significant resources, sprucing up neighborhoods to ensure a lasting impression. The event generated an economic impact of $4.2 million. During the conference, the Mansion on Delaware earned a top spot on the highly coveted list of America’s Historic Hotels – Take that Tom Brady!
Join me in recognizing Catherine Schweitzer and Robert Skerker, co-chairs of the successful Preservation Conference.
Having the right people in the ‘right place’ can change everything. Think back to the start of this new century…when there was little or no progress along Buffalo’s waterfront. 2011 was a breakthrough year!
From the Fourth of July until well after Labor Day, the place to be was Buffalo’s waterfront. We saw Canal Side and the Central Wharf turn into a new destination for more than 400,000 residents and visitors.
This year, residents and visitors can look forward to even more progress. A new restaurant will open at the Naval Park Museum, a city owned facility, while the existing Hatch Restaurant will undergo a $400,000 city funded expansion. Erie Basin Marina will also see an additional $1 million worth of improvements.
And, Benderson Development has just announced that construction of a new 96 room Marriott Courtyard Hotel will begin this year in the Donovan Building, which will also house the Phillips Lytle Law Firm.
To further support the revitalization of Buffalo’s waterfront, Today, I am challenging the development community to help re-invent a prime piece of city-owned land, known as the Webster Block. This 1.9 acre site, located directly across from First Niagara Center, is the most sought after piece of land in Buffalo. Later this month, my administration will issue a request for proposals for developers to present ideas on how to develop this block.
Connecting the waterfront and the central business district is critical! When I took office, I made it a priority to return cars to Main Street. We’ve completed work on the 700 Block, and saw significant private sector investment. This year, construction will be underway on the 600 Block in the Theater District. And, for the first time in a generation, residents will see new life breathed into the once prominent 500 Block, where the Hyatt Regency, Fountain Plaza and Rotary Rink are located. Last year, my administration sought and won a $15 million federal grant, which coupled with $10 million already secured from the state, will fund the redevelopment of the 500 Block and a portion of lower Main Street near Canal Side.
Restoring two-way traffic to Main Street will set the foundation for economic growth, attracting residents and businesses downtown, and creating new jobs. Turning Main Street into the most ‘complete’ street in the region will support the growth of the Buffalo Niagara Medical corridor.
William Joyce, Board Chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, and Matthew Enstice, President and Executive Director are joining us today. Also here is Kaleida President and CEO James Kaskie, who will usher in a new era for health care delivery in April with the opening of the Gates Vascular Institute and UB’s Research Center.
Thank you for continuing to build these world class facilities.
To further ensure the competitiveness of downtown, I recently made a nearly $12 million commitment to downtown development over the next three years. I proposed the Buffalo Building ReUse Project last year to strengthen our city’s urban core by making downtown buildings more attractive for investment.
I want to thank the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s President and CEO Andrew Rudnick who led a year of volunteer and staff research to develop this important initiative.
We’re also creating more residential housing in Buffalo. Since 2006, 634 housing units have been added downtown, with another 314 on the way.
Transforming old into new will be more visible than ever in 2012. Just around the corner, a $40 million renovation is well underway at the Hotel Lafayette. A $900,000 loan from the city will help transform this landmark into an apartment complex, boutique hotel and retail center.
Other new housing developments are sprouting up.
In South Buffalo, we celebrated the grand opening of the Holy Family Senior Apartments. On Buffalo’s East Side, more than fifty families have settled in at St. Martin Village, a site that was vacant for more than 30 years. I invited Sharon Wolfrom and her 11 year old daughter Paula to be here today. They were among the first to move in after a fire destroyed their home.
Progress continues in the Delavan-Grider neighborhood where a $7.6 million affordable housing project will soon begin. Thanks to the leadership of Rev. Darius Pridgen and State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples, 30 families will have the opportunity to live in this East Ferry Street residential development.
On the West Side, Savarino construction continues to work on the $3.4 million White’s Livery Apartments project, with $1.5 million provided by the city. This year we also plan to spend $1.1 million on infrastructure improvements in the city’s Fruit Belt. This will support the city’s nearly $3 million commitment to construction of 49 new town homes being built by the St. John Community Development Corporation.
It’s also important to note that my 5 in 5 Demolition and Rehabilitation plan is helping to transform our city. Since 2006, neighborhoods have been stabilized through the demolition of over 4,500 vacant buildings, and more than 1,200 housing units have been improved and rehabbed city-wide at a cost of more than $74 million.
Buffalo’s cultural and recreational institutions have been a significant contributor to the growth and development of our city. This year, the city will provide funding for needed improvements at Coca-Cola Field, the new Polar Bear exhibit at the Buffalo Zoo, and a new elevator in Delaware Park at the Marcy Casino. This summer, the city will complete $1 million in renovations at the Tacoma Ice Rink in North Buffalo, to make it one of the best rinks in all of Western New York.
Another important city project that will be completed this year is 60 Hedley Place. The city’s half-million commitment will finish the preservation of this historic farmhouse, cited as a stop on the Underground Railroad located in the Hamlin Park community.
Since taking office, I have made it my priority to enhance quality of life issues that make our neighborhoods stronger.
In 2011, my administration spent almost $7 million to improve parks, including $1.6 million in improvements at 35 playgrounds. It was the largest investment in parks in 20 years.
A big boost for the West Side came last fall at Massachusetts Avenue Park, which now has an improved playground and park entranceway. With more investment on the way, I want to thank Aaron Bartley and Terry Richard of PUSH BUFFALO for partnering with the city to develop a neighborhood consensus plan for this project. Also, this year, we will construct the City’s first park for skateboarders in Lasalle Park.
With $11 million worth of park projects planned for the next two years, during the course of my administration, we will have invested nearly $30 million to improve and beautify our park system.
We’ll also continue to make improvements to Broderick Park, which is located on an historic Underground Railroad site and crossing. My vision is to increase heritage tourism and attract more national and international visitors to Buffalo.
In addition to making parks better, we are making neighborhoods and commercial districts stronger. A $26 million transformation is underway in the Martin Luther King Jr. Park neighborhood. Construction will begin in late summer on the redevelopment of both Fillmore Avenue and Humboldt Parkway. These improvements will coincide with the grand opening of a new splash pad. This state-of-the-art water feature will be an all season attraction.
Once again – we have the right people, in the right place at the right time!
When many other cities had their credit downgraded, Buffalo’s credit rating is at its highest level in 30 years – with Wall Street grading Buffalo an A+ for the past two years! I look forward to continuing our financial success in Buffalo, working with new City Comptroller Mark Schroeder.
While zoning may not be a topic of conversation around dinner tables, it is the basic road map for development. That’s why my administration initiated the Buffalo Green Code. We hired award winning consultants to rewrite the city’s zoning ordinance for the first time in sixty-one years, with input from residents in every neighborhood throughout the city. The zoning re-write will be completed later this year and make the development process in Buffalo more predictable.
In addition, our city has over 300 acres of remediated brownfields that we are marketing to businesses for future development and job creation. This land makes Buffalo well positioned for Governor Cuomo’s billion dollar challenge.
A strong public education system is also essential to the success of our city. Just as the New Year began, the Say Yes to Education Foundation made a $15 million commitment to Buffalo, and a promise that every student in the Buffalo Public Schools that graduates from high school will have their college education paid for.
Say Yes to Education will keep families in Buffalo, and attract new residents to our city. Last year, working with the City Council, we committed a half million dollars over the course of the next three fiscal years to support this investment that will invest in the education of our youth.
Thanks to the vision and dedication of Alphonso O’Neil White, Clotilde Dedecker, Robert Gioia, and Mary Ann Schmitt Carey, more of our young people will have access to college.
Another educational initiative, the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, is fueled by an investment of over $6 million from M&T Bank, to improve educational outcomes for children living and attending school in the 14215 neighborhood.
Since I took office, the city has invested more than $3.5 million in this part of the University District. I’d like to thank ‘2011 Banker of the Year’ Robert Wilmers, Chief Executive Officer of M&T Bank, for his commitment to transform this neighborhood and our city.
Underlining all of our efforts to grow the economy and create jobs is public safety. We take pride in our excellent police and fire departments. The fire department continues to lower the number of arsons committed in Buffalo, down 42% since 2006, while increasing the number of arson related arrests by 29%.
Our police department has also been highly effective. This past year, crime dropped by 4%; 16% since 2006. We also continue to see a decline in the number of homicides. While every life lost to violence is one too many, Buffalo’s homicide rate for 2011 dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, down by almost 40%.
I attribute the drop in crime to the dedicated men and women of the Buffalo Police Department, and also a strong partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, citizen cooperation and support from violence prevention organizations.
This year, we will hire more police officers and firefighters. I also plan to expand the police surveillance camera system in the months ahead. Right now, the city has 125 in place, with 25 more on the way.
I’d like to recognize one of our key law enforcement partners who is here, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita.
Finally, Buffalo is growing stronger, smarter and receiving more positive attention about the many assets that make our city unique. We saw in 2011 what can be done when we rally around our assets. Buffalo is operating in a positive new environment: working together - pursuing common interests - and making the necessary changes that will benefit everyone for generations to come.
It’s an honor to serve the residents of the great City of Buffalo. I look forward to building on our successes to make 2012 an even greater year in the history of our city.
Buffalo continues to move forward as a great American city - with the right people, in the right place, at the right time!
Thank you very much for your support. May God bless you, and God bless the City of Buffalo.
