As Mayor, I will pursue a detailed plan for Syracuse residents that takes a common sense approach, agnostic of party history or affiliation. It focuses on core development, connectivity, new and accessible lending programs to increase home ownership, housing protection for residents, financial transparency and accountability, safety and security as a top priority, full funding for first responders, dedicated departments and technology advancements to address traffic, walkability and biking concerns, clean water guarantees, sanitation upgrades and strict plans to promote clean, safe and visually appealing neighborhoods including a focus on strengthening our Syracuse identity through art. If you want to own a home, actually be safe and feel safe, be part of intelligent growth and have exciting things to do while trash is picked up, aesthetics are restored, streets are plowed and traffic flows, vote for me.

1. GROW THE URBAN CORE: Prioritize dense development around E. Genesee St. & Almond St. to connect downtown to Syracuse University as 81 comes down. A strong city center will create investment opportunities in inner ring neighborhoods which will provide new economic opportunities for city residents. Attracting new residents while creating opportunities for current residents will reduce the poverty that has become too normal.

2. U-TURN FOR SYRACUSE HOUSING AUTHORITY: New board members will be appointed who will focus on retention and development of the current community in the current buildings. I will not displace the residents, nor will I give any of the Housing Authority land to the large institutional nonprofits.

3. LAND BANK OVERHAUL TO FACILITATE HOME OWNERSHIP & ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT: A citizen who owns their home is different from a citizen who doesn’t. The quickest solution for housing affordability is a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, especially in this Micron moment when historically low housing values are rapidly rising. To achieve this goal the Land Bank will be repurposed. The Land Bank currently holds too many properties and doesn’t sufficiently engage, empower, or prioritize city residents and city school graduates. The Land Bank will become an actual bank and will partner with local lenders. It will grant land and structures as collateral for loans that renovate homes for owner occupants and owners next door. Additionally, the funds allocated to the housing trust fund will be targeted to support renovation of Land Bank “owner occupied” and “owner next door” homes.

4. FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP & TRANSPARENT LEADERSHIP IN CITY HALL: The budget will be balanced, and the property tax rate will be held constant (rising property values will be enough to sustain city services). Ben Walsh and Sharon Owens prioritize adherence to their desired narrative over acknowledgment of reality. I will eliminate the public relations army at City Hall; we will engage reality and develop realistic and financially sustainable solutions. Failing to see and/or acknowledge the truth prevents progress.

5. NO COMPROMISE ON SAFETY & SECURITY, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION: All available technology (drones, plate readers, and cameras) will be used to make Syracuse safe. Nuisance abatement will be enforced aggressively against for-profits and nonprofits that repeatedly disrupt our city. All parks will be secured nightly from 10pm to 4am with gates and cameras. Code Enforcement will be redesigned so that code officers walk neighborhood streets regularly and prioritize exterior violations. Egregious exterior violations will be used to get warrants for interior inspections. Syracuse will look better and be better. Syracuse won’t be a giant traffic jam with no way out, especially in emergency situations. Technology will be employed to better communicate delays and efficient routes to commuters as the highway comes down. Streets will be paved, promptly repaired and plowed with efforts properly coordinated across the city to maximize safe driving.

6. FIRE & POLICE FULLY FUNDED & ACTIVELY MANAGED: Fire and Police are the only city employees who put their lives on the line to do their jobs. The uniform workforces will be directly engaged to help identify their Chief, as opposed to having a new Chief blindly forced upon them. They will have a leader selected with their buy-in and one who values transparency. Over the first year in office, I will spend one day a week with Police and Fire doing whatever their rank and file feels I should do to understand how to efficiently ensure public safety. Additionally, we will build a new Eastside/Downtown firehouse paid for by Syracuse University via their PILOT agreement: “Engine 44” (it will have housing above it).

7. DPW DIVIDED INTO DEPT OF MOBILITY & DEPT OF SANITATION: Mobility will be overseen by an urban planner. We can’t out suburb the suburbs but we can emulate some of the best features of vibrant communities with bold planning to make Syracuse shine. The sidewalk program will expand; curbs, curb bump outs, bike lanes, and rapid transit will become standard across the city. Syracuse will flow. Parking minimums will be eliminated; we want developers housing people (not cars). Sanitation rules will be adjusted to more easily collect bulk set outs and extra bags that don’t fit in the trash cart. Too often these items are stacked on the front, side, and rear of homes making neighborhoods unsanitary and unsightly. Our city will be clean and the process will promote a culture of responsibility.

8. SAFER, CLEANER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WATER SYSTEM & WATERWAYS: My family and I take pride in cleaning the creek that runs through Elmwood Park in addition to riding our bikes on Onondaga Creekwalk and around Onondaga Lake. As both a basic necessity and a source of unique enjoyment in the area, our water is a primary asset and needs to be prioritized. We will build a secondary intake pipe in Skaneateles to have safe water even with harmful algae blooms. We will replace all lead water lines in compliance with the Federal government mandate. Water contracts will serve as a primary point of focus for local contractor participation. I will work with the County Executive to prioritize completion of the Loop the Lake Trail, which will increase the utility of our Creek Trail. Additionally, I will push to make the aquarium a Museum of Water Science that will tell the authentic story of our Lake, better aligning branding with Syracuse and value for area residents.

9. BUILD NEW MONUMENTS; KEEP EXISTING MONUMENTS: Public art matters. We will build an “Eternal Flame” to remember victims of gun violence in our community in Clinton Square. Additionally, the City will issue an RFP for a major public art installation that reuses materials from the I81 viaduct to be located at our new city center (Almond Street and East Genesee Street). We will reuse the physical materials that for sixty plus years have divided our community to make something incredible that will bring us together. Lastly, Columbus will stand. We need to learn history, not destroy it.