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Campaign Announcement Speech

May 9, 2009

Thank you! What a great reception, thank you!

It’s so good to see so many friends here today; thank you for taking time out of your weekend to be here this morning.

Congressman Brian Higgins. Thank you for your generous introduction. You’ve been a great partner and a great friend. I look forward to working with you further as we continue to help move Buffalo forward.

And New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples, you’ve been a tremendous ally and a strong supporter of the City of Buffalo, constantly fighting for the people of our city and ensuring that Albany never forgets the needs of the residents of our state’s second largest city.

And to my other partners in government: Senator Antoine Thompson, Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, County Legislator Tim Kennedy, Councilmembers Demone Smith and Joe Golombek and all the other elected, civic and faith-based leaders who have come here today – thank you for your support.

And I have to tell you, no one can achieve success in this business alone. You need partners and I am very proud of all of these great partners. Without them we would not be able to make the progress we have --- Let’s give them a round of applause.

And thanks to the residents of Buffalo – you inspire me every day to make a difference.

Finally – and most importantly – I thank my family who have provided me with the love and support that is so crucial to anyone who chooses public service. My family gives me the support I need to work on behalf of the residents of Buffalo. My wife Michelle and my son Byron have always been there for me. I said it four years ago and it remains as true today as then – Michelle, there is simply no way I could do what I do without your love and support.

It is fitting that we come here today to the Reverend Bennett W. Smith Family Life Center, which is named for one of the great faith-based leaders in the history of our community. This facility symbolizes the strength and vitality of our community, particularly at a time when there are grave financial concerns about our city, region and state, as well as the future of our nation.

In this place, church members and residents banded together and with a unified effort they displayed their determination to make their community better and stronger.

Their success is all around us and it continues to grow stronger every day. Reverend Michael Chapman has continued the legacy left by Reverend Smith. These efforts have continued to add vitality throughout this neighborhood and have been widely recognized for producing the first faith-based hospice facility in the nation.

And so today, I come here determined to continue the progress we have made over the past 3 ½ years.

In that time, we have reduced the city’s crime rate, cut property taxes, eliminated government waste, built record budget surpluses, successfully negotiated several union contracts, started the process of returning cars to Main Street, ensured that all city employees receive a living wage and resolved the long-standing Hickory Woods controversy.

I will continue the great partnerships with people like those who have joined me on this stage and continue the collaborations that are beginning to improve opportunity for all Buffalonians – but, I am not done carrying out the programs and policies that I know will make the Buffalo a better city to live, work, invest and raise a family.

I am here today to formally declare my intention to seek another term as your Mayor of the City of Buffalo!

Four years ago when I announced my candidacy, I pledged that I would be an agent for change, promoting hope and opportunity for all city residents.

After taking office in 2006, I immediately launched CitiStat Buffalo, my public accountability initiative that has changed the way business is done in City Hall.

At the same time, I issued a Zero Tolerance law enforcement effort that brought in a new, crime fighting strategy including the highly successful Mobile Response Unit, the reestablishment of the Cold Case Squad, installing surveillance cameras in high crime areas and, most importantly, putting new police officers on our city streets.

And, we targeted the blight that hurts our neighborhoods and undermines our residents’ quality of life, demolishing vacant buildings that are a health and safety hazzard for our residents, and rehabilitating housing units that can be saved.

To further support our homeowners and businesses who have invested in our city, I have cut property taxes in every year I have served as your Mayor.

With the recommended city budget I sent to the Common Council last week, I have cut the property tax rate four straight times. All totaled, I have reduced the tax rate for residential properties by 12.5% and 14.9% for commercial properties. I’m proud of that and I will continue to fight for our city’s property owners.

I will continue to build on the progress we have achieved over the past 3 1/2 years, so that the hope and opportunity I spoke of in 2005 will continue.

Since taking office, I have added 108 new officers to our Police Department, and I’m adding 20 more officers with the revenue generated by a new red light camera system, which was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor.

In addition, the new city budget will fund a 53 camera expansion of the existing surveillance camera system; bringing the total up to 120 installed, as we continue to fight crime throughout our city.

And, I added funding for a new class of 55 firefighters that will make Buffalo residents safer.

Protecting our residents and protecting their neighborhoods has been among my top priorities and that’s why I was proud to resolve the Hickory Woods neighborhood controversy. This was an historic resolution to an issue of environmental justice that began during the Griffin Administration, continued in the Masiello Administration and was resolved by my Administration!

Make no mistake about it – we are making progress.

Despite the financial challenges that have shaken our state and nation, my Administration’s conservative budgeting has prepared us well to weather the current impact of the financial crisis. In fact, last year we achieved a record surplus for the city and created a $32 million “rainy day” fund to further protect our residents from financial hardship.

This comes six years after the imposition of a state-created financial control board and five years after the Control Board imposed a wage freeze for all city employees. Well, our budget is balanced, we cut taxes and my fight to lift the wage freeze succeeded in 2007! Ladies and gentlemen, the City of Buffalo is in its best financial condition in decades!

Our focus on economic development is working.

Last year my Administration created a new program for businesses investing in Buffalo to hire city residents – as a result 146 city residents have new jobs. That’s progress!

With the benefit of the growing Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, we are moving ahead with our plans to make Buffalo a national center for electronic medical records. This will create 550 new jobs. This summer I am creating 25 summer youth positions for city youth to work in these 21st Century jobs. That’s progress!

Let me recognize Congressman Steve Israel from Long Island who has joined us today. He is our downstate partner in this initiative. Congressman, thank you for working with us as we create good paying jobs for Buffalo’s residents.

Along with this area of dynamic growth and development, the University at Buffalo’s UB 2020 plan will build a third campus in downtown Buffalo and bring thousands of students and new jobs into the city.

We are working closely with these important projects and making real progress.

Over the past 3½ years, I have grown youth employment from 1,200 jobs in 2005 to 4,000 this year.

That’s a 233% increase; giving the youth of our city an opportunity to learn important job skills, gain meaningful employment and be better prepared to enter the workforce – that’s progress!

And since my Summer Reading program was established in 2001, it has grown by 348%, with over 1,500 students last summer. Since it began, there have been over 4,000 students that have participated, reading over 23,000 books. That’s definitely progress I am very proud of.

Progress has also been reflected in my Administration’s continuing crime fighting effort, which has brought an overall 7% reduction in crime between 2005 and 2008. It is clear our Zero Tolerance strategy is working. In fact, between 2006 and 2008 the men and women of the Buffalo Police Department reduced homicide by 50%.

Those responsible for violent crimes are being relentlessly pursued and brought to justice by the members of our Police Department. Every year during my tenure as Mayor, the Buffalo Police Department’s success in solving homicides has increased, reaching 89% in 2008. That, clearly is progress!

Like mayors across the country, I am dedicated to fighting the flow of illegal guns into our city. Over the past two summers, we have successfully run a Gun Buyback program, which has contributed to removing illegal guns from our city streets.

I’m pleased to tell you today that thanks to the efforts of the Buffalo Police Department, we have removed nearly 5,000 illegal guns from the streets of Buffalo since I took office – now that’s progress!

But, I will not rest on these successes; there is still more work to be done. Our residents deserve the best that we can offer. And THAT’S why I am running for another term as your Mayor of Buffalo!

I love Buffalo and its people. I know that we have made progress in many areas and there’s more work to do.

Our city’s waterfront continues to grow and improve. People are now enjoying access to the city’s Inner Harbor and we will continue to develop our waterfront to the Outer Harbor and the Blackrock Canal.

We will continue to invest in our historic Olmsted and neighborhood parks to further improve our quality of life.

Going forward, my vision is to continue to invest in efforts to support job growth; like the emerging Buffalo Green Belt and additional brownfield clean-ups, like on the city’s East Side on former industrial sites near East Delavan Avenue.

We will direct our federal stimulus funds to projects that make energy conservation improvements to city-owned buildings with $2.7 million in new funding.

These projects will create nearly 100 new “Green Collar” jobs.

And, I will continue to fight for additional stimulus funding to create more jobs to build on the progress we are paying.

From Black Rock to Hamlin Park, Central Park to Kaisertown, the Old First Ward to the West Side, and North Buffalo, the City of Buffalo is a collection of neighborhoods that have contributed to our city’s strength. I know this firsthand because I have met with block clubs in every section of our city. Our residents deserve the best that we can offer.

Since serving in the Common Council, in the New York State Senate and now 3 ½ years as your Mayor, I have visited with you in your homes, attended family reunions, traveled to opening day games, marched in parades, stopped to visit those in hospitals, gone to wakes, funerals and officiated at weddings. I have been to every corner of our great city and had conversations with thousands of Buffalonians. I have heard your concerns, listened to your advice and been inspired by your personal dreams for the future.

It has been a great privilege and honor to serve you as your Mayor. I am ready to pursue a second term to finish the work we started 3 ½ years ago and continue the progress we have made in creating hope and opportunity for every Buffalo resident!

Thank you! God bless you and God bless the City of Buffalo!

Thank you!