Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh discussed city infrastructure, safety and diversity initiatives in his annual State of the City address Thursday. 

Walsh delivered the message to about 200 city residents and officials at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The mayor’s speech focused on long-term city restoration and advancement projects that Walsh said will be driven by a “we can” attitude. 

“After years of decline that turned far too many of us into cynics and defeatists, people are actually starting to believe again, and there is good reason for that,” Walsh said. 

Syracuse is the only major city in New York state that experienced population growth in 2019 and has the third highest growth rate among millennials in the country, Walsh said. About 75% of residents who have moved to Syracuse since 2017 are in their mid-20s to mid-30s, the National Association of Realtors estimates. 

Poverty rates in the city are the lowest they have been in 10 years, Walsh said. 

Syracuse launched its Financial Empowerment Center in July, providing one-on-one financial counseling to nearly 200 residents within the center’s first six months of operation, he said. The city also worked with Onondaga County to implement its Hire Ground program, which connected about 270 residents to work experiences, he said. 

“The solutions to poverty are complex and will take caring, determination and collaboration over many years to achieve lasting progress,” Walsh said. “The path to success will also be found by relentlessly pursuing our vision for growth.”

The mayor also provided updates on the Syracuse Surge, the city’s $200 million combination of public and private investment aiming to improve the city’s economy through technological advancements. 

Verizon, which invested millions to make Syracuse one of the nation’s first installers of city-wide 5G, will begin installing the wireless technology later this year, Walsh said. The company will also construct 600 cellphone towers over the next several years. 

Other city infrastructure improvements include ongoing construction of 220 affordable housing units and plans to replace the Interstate 81 viaduct with a community grid, Walsh said. The state will issue its final Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the I-81 replacement this year, he said. 

Under the community grid replacement option, the aging 1.4 mile-long viaduct would be torn down and traffic would be redirected onto city streets. 

“In the months ahead, my focus will be on ensuring, first and foremost, that the DEIS address the needs and concerns of the people who live closest to the project,” Walsh said. 

Walsh also announced a citywide municipal sidewalk maintenance and snow removal program. The city will purchase ten new snow plows and three plow-equipped pickup trucks with a goal of having them on the streets next winter, Walsh said. The state will reimburse Syracuse for five of those plows.

Syracuse University agreed to plow large sections of sidewalks on the city’s east side at no cost, Walsh said. 

Cooperation between city departments, private businesses and community organizations has helped spur growth, Walsh said. Diversity is a critical part of that growth, he said. 

The latest class of Syracuse Police Department officers will be one of the most diverse in the department’s history, Walsh said. 

“While I am proud to have built the most diverse administration in the city’s history, speaking frankly, we still have work to do if we want to truly reflect the diversity of those we serve,” Walsh said. 

Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens will establish and lead the city’s new Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility, Walsh said. The office will coordinate the actions of city departments to ensure its principles are applied across city policies, services and procedures, he said. 

Walsh’s administration also appointed a full-time Census Coordinator in 2019 to ensure the 2020 Census will accurately characterize the city, he said. 

“We still face daunting challenges, and too many of our residents have yet to be touched by our recent progress,” Walsh said. “By no means do I believe Syracuse has reached its pinnacle, but I do see the next heights within reach.” 

Published on January 17, 2020 at 12:04 am

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3