Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans gave his first State of the City Address, highlighting how city leaders inspire hope and deliver opportunities to the community, with a goal of loosening the grip on poverty for the city’s most challenged neighborhoods. His priorities include youth, public safety, economic empowerment, workforce development, housing, and equity.
In his remarks, Mayor Evans emphasized the importance of focusing on the city’s progress through a youth lens and finding every possible opportunity to support them. The Mayor said collaboration is critical and shared examples of efforts already underway for youth, such as expanding the Summer Opportunity program, raising pay for lifeguards and recreation workers, creating a youth agriculture program, and offering stipends for summer enrichment programs.
Mayor Evans shared his public safety vision, noting the city follows a prevention, intervention, and suppression strategy to combat violence. The city created the Office of Violence Prevention to support this strategy, expanding its Pathways to Peace program and putting outreach teams in schools. Other efforts the city is leading to promote safety include planting 2,000 street trees this year, continuing to invest in crosswalks and bike lanes, helping the unhoused find shelter, and expanding their Persons in Crisis Team.
The Mayor also highlighted some of the city’s equity initiatives, including the Guaranteed Basic Income Project and the Lead Water Service Line Replacement Project which are funded with American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
Watch Mayor Evans’ full address here.
