Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren sidelined her traditional “State of the City Speech” Thursday night in favor of a produced video program that laid out what she calls her “Equity and Recovery Agenda” to address historic inequity and racism and prepare for post-pandemic recovery in Rochester.
Warren’s ERA, according to the mayor, will reverse the effects of historic racism and inequity by addressing key issues she says are the result of policies that perpetuate the unfair treatment of minorities. Warren says problems with poverty, crime and education all stem from this common source. She says the death of Daniel Prude after being restrained by police and the heavier impact of the pandemic on minorities should be the catalyst for change.
The ERA proposes 11 initiatives to confront four issues that to Warren reveal the greatest manifestations of racism and inequality: Housing, Crime, Jobs and Education:
Creating the City of Rochester “Housing First” Trust Fund: a trust fund that directs city revenues toward programs promoting home ownership and preventing the consequences of evictions. Funding would come from Government, education and the private sectors to stabilize the housing market.
Create the “ERA Emergency Fund” to Prevent Families from Falling Into Poverty: An ERA Emergency Fund will provide micro grants of up to $2,000 to help individuals and families prevent temporary financial setbacks, such as unforeseen medical expenses, lost work time or vehicle repairs, from becoming life-changing events. Warren hopes to get funding from taxing legal marijuana sales.
Create an Office of Neighborhood Safety – A Whole City Approach to Reducing Violence: An Office of Neighborhood Safety would coordinate and dedicate resources from several Departments, including the Rochester Police Department and the Department of Recreation and Human Services, toward violence reduction. Mayor Warren will convene a task force develop a plan for the new Office in time for inclusion in 2021-22 City budget.
Reforming our Police Department and Honoring the Life of Daniel Prude: Police reform is already underway with the appointment of Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan, the call for a police-residency requirement and the creation of the Office of Crisis Intervention Services.
Make Every Elementary School a Neighborhood Community School: The ERA agenda renews the call for the City, Rochester City School District, Monroe County and others to ensure that the full range of community school services are available at every District “neighborhood elementary school,” starting with School 22 in the Upper Falls Neighborhood. This proposal builds on the requirement issued by the RCSD’s assigned monitor’s direction to develop a feasibility plan by May to make every elementary school a neighborhood school.
Leverage Our Investments in Infrastructure to Ensure and Expand Employment for City Residents: Mayor Warren intends to increase the City’s MWBE public works procurement goals. Since 2018, when the goals were last increased, Rochester has increased its MWBE contracts by 300 percent, to $27 million.
Providing A Living Wage For Health Care Workers: In 2021 and beyond, Mayor Warren will elevate and amplify the call for state legislation that mandates a $15 minimum wage for health aide and nursing assistant positions so the pay for their work reflects its value to the community and those they serve.
Expanding Urban Farming to Create Entrepreneurs and Fight Food Deserts : Mayor Warren has tasked the City’s Office of Community Wealth Building to establish RocCity HomeGrown, an initiative to establish urban agriculture to help families grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables or create small food businesses.
Create a New Americans Advisory Council: A New Americans Advisory Council (NAAC) will improve communication with the traditional and emerging leadership among these communities to improve the delivery of City services. Mayor Warren has tapped Bijaya Khadka, an outspoken advocate for local refugee communities, to serve as founding chair.
Create an “Arts Equity Fund” – 1% for the Arts to Support Diverse Voices: Dedicating 1 percent of all capital project investments to an Arts Equity Fund will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars to commission local artists to create public art that promotes equity and inspires empathy and understanding. The fund would be administered by a City Arts Commission.