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Mayor Brown Delivers 2008 State of the City Address

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Office of the Mayor
Peter K. Cutler
Director of Communications
716-851-4841

(View 2008 State of the City Address)

(State of the City 2008 Booklet)

Hails Continued Growth, Increased Investment, Lowering Crime and Fiscal Stability

BUFFALO — Mayor Byron W. Brown today delivered his 2008 State of the City address before over 1,100 attendees during a 12:00 noon luncheon at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Downtown Buffalo.

"I say with confidence: the City of Buffalo is well on its way back, "said Mayor Brown. "The State of our City is strong, growing and our renaissance is in full swing. Crime is down, investment is up and the promise of a strong, vibrant future is brighter now than what we’ve experienced in decades."

Mayor Brown highlighted Buffalo’s continuing fiscal stability, stating that the existing state-imposed Control Board should be transitioned into an advisory role.

"Earlier this year, the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche issued a favorable 2006-07 audit for the City, which reported a $21.6 million surplus, the largest in the history of the City of Buffalo and the fifth consecutive surplus the City has reported since the fiscal crisis began in 2001-02," said Mayor Brown.

The mayor noted that this announcement of a City surplus followed two successive Wall Street credit upgrades and his Administration’s implementation of best practice policies, including: establishing CitiStat Buffalo, a nationally recognized accountability and management tool; ensuring long-term fiscal stability through the creation of a $40 million rainy day fund; conservative budgeting; and and the lowering property tax rates by a total of 10% over the first two years of my Administration.

In view of these developments, Mayor Brown declared, "It is now time to acknowledge that the fiscal crisis in Buffalo is over."

The Mayor also announced the creation of a new position within his Administration: Chief Economic Development Officer. This new position will be focused on providing a roadmap to grow the City economy, support job creation and workforce development. The Mayor is expected to announce an appointment to this position on Friday, February 22nd.

Mayor Brown, citing a need to capitalize on the City’s diverse and rich arts and cultural community, declared 2008 the Year of the Arts in Buffalo and announced the appointment of Barbra Kavanaugh as Chair of the reconstituted Buffalo Arts Commission.

To further underscore his commitment to supporting the arts and cultural organizations throughout the City, Mayor Brown announced a $1 million allocation to build a new Urban Arts Center in the Michigan Avenue Cultural Corridor, to further diversify and strengthen the great arts assets of Buffalo.

Other highlights of the Mayor’s State of the City Address included:

Economic Development

1. Opening of new Labatt USA headquarters
2. Opening of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York’s regional headquarters
3. Groundbreaking for new federal courthouse on Niagara Square
4. Renovation of former Dulski federal building
5. Announcement of Kohl’s Department Store in North Buffalo – the first national department store to enter the City of Buffalo in at least a decade
6. Transforming the former East Utica Library into a state of the art business incubator and establishing the East Side location for the BERC Resource Center
7. Acquisition of former Republic Steel brownfield property, bringing over 400 acres of prime land for investment into the City’s inventory

Public Safety

1. 100 new police officers will be on city streets by July 2008
2. New 60 high-tech surveillance camera system will be fully functional in a matter of weeks and Mayor has called for an additional 40 cameras to be added to this citywide system by the end of the year
3. Mobile Response Unit had a record-setting month of crime in January when they registered 354 arrests
4. Violent crime continued to decrease in the City of Buffalo, with a 12% reduction in 2007
5. Overall crime in the city has dropped 7% over the past two years
6. Removed a total of over 2,800 illegal guns from city streets since 2006, including last summer’s one-day Gun Buyback
7. Fire Investigation Unit has accounted for increased arson arrests by 92% since 2006 and increased 68% in 2007.
8. Added new fire equipment and technology, including a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Vehicle, purchased with federal funds. Working closely with local, state and federal agencies, the new specialized vehicle will be used by the Fire Investigation Unit in the investigation of fire and explosion scenes.

Neighborhood/Community Development

1. Resolution of decades-long Hickory Woods controversy
2. New Sycamore Village neighborhood is under construction
3. Launching a Faith-based Community Initiative, partnering with well-known faith-based community development corporations in the City to develop key projects in targeted neighborhoods. City will commit $1 million dollars from the Grow Buffalo (Economic Development) Fund for this initiative
4. Four Neighborhoods, One Community, joint effort by the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus; comprehensive and coordinated development effort treating four distinct neighborhoods as one community, including the Medical Campus, the Fruit Belt, Allentown and Downtown
5. Save Our Streets Task Force, conducting 19 Clean Sweeps during 2007

Mayor Brown concluded the 2008 State of the City by stating, "As we leave here today, let us embrace optimism and leave behind the negativity that has at times divided our community. Let us join together with one common mission: Restore Buffalo to its rightful place as The Queen City."