Ben Walsh, the city of Syracuse’s new mayor, spoke about several of his major initiatives during a brief speech early Saturday morning at a public inauguration ceremony.

His speech, originally scheduled to be held on the steps of City Hall, was moved inside to the Landmark Theatre due to subzero wind chill temperatures.

Here are three key takeaways from Walsh’s speech:

Fiscal summit

Walsh on Saturday said he would hold a fiscal summit in partnership with Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

“We will convene our city’s anchor institutions, business leaders, the banking community, as well as county, state and national leaders,” Walsh said. “We’ll find new ways to improve efficiency and service delivery, and work with our partners to address the deep structural issues that underlie the city’s revolving deficits.”

Syracuse’s projected budget deficit for the 2017-18 fiscal year is $16.5 million, finance records show. Projections also show that Syracuse’s reserve funds could be exhausted within two years, Walsh said.

Some local politicians, including Common Councilor Joe Driscoll, fear New York state officials could take over Syracuse’s financing within the next few years, as a control board.

The mayor graduated from Maxwell in 2005 with a master’s degree in public administration. The school’s dean, David Van Slyke, served on Walsh’s transition team.

The mayor on Saturday did not announce a date for the summit.

Economic task force

On the advice of a working group that held public input meetings during his transition, Walsh said he will authorize the creation of a task force to ensure Syracuse creates equitable “prosperity” for all city residents.

“A segregated city that concentrates wealth in some places and poverty in others is not a modern, progressive city,” Walsh said.

Interstate 81

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s on Wednesday announced that transportation officials will include a contentious tunnel option in a draft environmental impact statement as part of the Interstate 81 replacement project.

Throughout the campaign, Walsh said he supported a community grid option for the project and not the tunnel. The mayor on Wednesday reaffirmed his position.

“I will be a consistent and passionate voice for the community grid,” Walsh said. “As evidenced by the applause, the overwhelming majority of city residents see what I see.”

The most feasible tunnel option would cost between $3 billion and $4.5 billion, according to a state-commissioned study by multinational engineering consultant WSP. The grid would cost an estimated $1.3 billion.

Walsh said he looks forward to leading the city’s efforts in advocating for the grid.

Published on January 6, 2018 at 1:01 pm

Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek