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WPCNR’S FOR THE RECORD. The Mayor’s State of the City Speech. Delivered February 3, 2003: On Monday evening at the February Common Council Meeting in White Plains, Mayor Joseph Delfino presented his State of the City address in which he introduced a number of policies, initiatives, and issues facing White Plains. Here is the transcript of the Mayor’s address:
MAYOR JOSEPH M. DELFINO of the City of White Plains
Photo by WPCNR News
The first item on our agenda tonight is the annual State of the City Address.
And it is with great pleasure that I report to you tonight that the State of our City is strong.
We as a City have much to be excited about. Confidence in White Plains is at an all time high and we are well on our way to becoming a national success story for revitalizing suburban cities. Everywhere you look in our City, progress is showing and excitement is building.
Having spent most of my lifetime in White Plains and having served over twenty years as an elected official, I can safely say that never before have I seen so many good things happening at one time in our City. And I can’t thank the people of White Plains enough for their support and commitment as we all have been working together to make our community the best that it can be.
Last year at this time, when I outlined my agenda for the first year of my second term as Mayor, I promised that we would work hard to finish the numerous economic development projects that were under way and that we would continue to encourage new investment in our downtown. And I am happy to report that as of tonight, we have reached a record setting $1.3 billion of investment in this City. Construction crews have been working feverishly to finish their work and their efforts are starting to show.
At the gateway to our City, two new apartment buildings have been erected at 50 Main Street, formerly referred to as “The Hole in the Ground”. With completion scheduled for this spring, this new apartment complex will put to an end once and for to the hole in the ground saga that had plagued us for two decades.
We have also seen tremendous progress at the site of the future City Center on Mamaroneck Avenue. Construction of the City Center is progressing with great speed and is expected to be completed in October. With its completion comes the realization of a long time dream to bring the movies back to White Plains and to reverse a steady decline in our downtown.
Also moving quickly toward completion is the new Fortunoff’s on Bloomingdale Avenue. The new retail center is expected to open this fall and will generate millions of dollars in revenue for the city.
We also expect the completion of a new residential project at Canfield and Main Street, which will represent the first residential building to be built in the downtown since 1988.
For the first time in 17 years, White Plains now has its own major supermarket within the city limits. This past December, the brand new 60,000 square foot Stop & Shop Superstore opened its doors to the public. Stop and Shop now compliments other smaller food stores and superettes in the City.
Each one of these development projects has been part of an overall revitalization plan, which I believe has been the blueprint to our success. And I believe that we need to continue along the same path to ensure that we finish the job we started. Within the next couple of months, I intend to release Phase 3 of my economic development plan, which will finish off what we started some five years ago. There is much more we can do to make our downtown one of the greatest in the region, and I firmly believe that we have the momentum on our side to get the job done. I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the Common Council for their input on Phase 3 and I am optimistic that the initiatives that I will outline in the plan will receive strong support.
I would also like to thank the White Plains Business Improvement District for working very closely with us on Phase 3. I can’t say enough about the progress that the BID has made over the past year and in the strong working relationship that has developed between the BID and the City. Our sidewalks are cleaner, our downtown special events are better attended, communication with our merchants is excellent, and plans are under way for new initiatives that will make our downtown a unique and exciting place to be. This strong relationship has been invaluable and it is hard to imagine any downtown succeeding without the City and the BID working together hand in hand. Having looked at other cities nationally, we have found that adversarial relationships between a BID and its City are symptoms displayed by failed downtowns and I am thrilled at the example that we have set here in White Plains and I would discourage those who look to create conflict where none exists.
Economic development, as important as it is, is merely a means to an end. Creating new investment in White Plains is a necessary means to preserving and protecting the excellent quality of life that White Plains has long been known for. Each of these new projects expands our tax base, creating more revenue to fund important city programs without unduly burdening our homeowners.
And while I am very pleased with the construction projects under way in our downtown, I am even more proud of the great strides we have made to enhance our recreation programs, to improve our parks, to preserve our open spaces, to protect the quality of our neighborhoods, to keep our streets safe, to create more affordable housing, and to create new programs for our youth and our seniors.
For the first time in history, White Plains will have access to lakefront property which residents can use for a variety of recreational opportunities including boating, fishing, and lakeside picnicking.
This past October, I signed a 30-year lease with Westchester County for $1 per year that gives White Plains control of lakefront property on the site of the old Dellwood dairy bottling plant, which borders St. Mary’s Lake (commonly known as Silver Lake). With gorgeous views of the lake and access to the County-owned Silver Lake Preserve, the 2-acre property is one of the most beautiful spots in White Plains.
Within the next month, I intend to unveil my plan for the construction of a passive park on the property, which I hope to have open to the public by this summer. I thought it would be appropriate to name the property “Liberty Park” in honor of the victims of the terrible tragedy that occurred in our country on September 11th. Liberty Park will be both a peaceful spot in our city for reflection and also a perfect place for all of us to celebrate life and nature and to enjoy the company of our family and neighbors…the very liberties we most cherish in our lives.
I have also planned for a September 11th memorial committee to establish a permanent memorial specifically in recognition of the five White Plains residents who lost their lives on that tragic day. The committee’s charge will be to determine what type of memorial is appropriate, where it should be located, and how we can get the community involved to ensure that the memorial gets built.
I am also proud of two important quality of life projects that were approved this past November and are currently under way.
The first project involves a plan to fix the badly run down Main/Mamaroneck Park, including the crumbling concrete fountain, which has been out of service for over a year. The park, with its poor lighting and its uninviting design, has lost favor with residents over the years.
The new plan calls for demolition of the existing fountain and plaza area in order to create a more inviting, attractive recreational area including a unique water feature specially designed to create new street life and family fun in the downtown.
The plan includes various grassy areas where visitors can view concerts and other special events. A refreshment kiosk and outdoor tables and chairs will provide a great opportunity for outdoor dining and enjoying the downtown.
The second project involves the creation of a performing arts center which will be incorporated into the new City Center. The new 400 seat live community theater will be completed this fall and will provide a full range of cultural opportunities including off- Broadway quality productions, concerts, lectures, and children’s shows.
The performing arts center fulfills a 30-year dream to create exciting live shows and arts offerings in the downtown and will meet the needs of a variety of local arts groups which have been in desperate need of performance space to cultivate and showcase the talents of their artists.
The cost of construction for both projects has been capped at $7 million dollars and will be paid for from federal, state, and county funding sources and through bonds paid for by parking fines. No money will be used from City property taxes to pay for either project.
I am also very proud of the progress we made in other areas of our recreation and parks program. We refurbished a number of our ballfields which were desperately in need in repair, we implemented new programs at our Senior Center, with a strong focus on computer training and health and fitness, we expanded pre-school classes and provided additional services for developmentally disabled adults and children.
This year also brought changes in our Public Safety Department, with the appointment of a new Public Safety Commissioner, Frank Straub, and two new Deputy Commissioners, Dave Chong and Charles Jennings. Dr. Straub and his team bring tremendous expertise and professionalism to our department, which already enjoys a reputation as the best in Westchester County.
Police and fire services are a vital part of preserving the quality of life in White Plains and I am very excited about some of the new public safety initiatives that we have been working on. One such initiative was implemented this past summer. Police officers on bicycles are now patrolling in the downtown. The new program is a valuable enforcement tool which gives police officers access to areas ordinarily inaccessible to patrol cars and increases their visibility on the streets. The program has been greeted with great enthusiasm by officers and residents as an excellent way for police to interact with the community.
Over the next few months, I will be announcing several other new initiatives including a plan to bolster our efforts in cracking down on speeders, a new training program to better prepare our public safety personnel for an unlikely terrorist event, and new outreach efforts to foster better police/community relationships.
This past year, we were also successful in resolving a 20-year old controversy involving the White Plains campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital. This August, a proposal to construct a $250 million dollar biomedical research and cancer treatment center in White Plains received City approval after an extensive 18-month review process. The project, which will be constructed on the hospital’s campus, will bring to White Plains some of the newest and best medical technology available today, particularly in the fight against cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States exceeded only by heart disease. About one out of every four deaths is from cancer. This year alone, 550,000 people will die of cancer, roughly 1,500 people a day. About 1.3 million people will learn from their doctor this year that they have cancer and since 1990, about 16 million people were diagnosed with cancer. We certainly have a long way to go in winning the war against this deadly disease and I wish New York hospital well in their life saving efforts.
This past year, we were also successful in resolving a 10-year old stalemate between the City and the White Plains Housing Authority. By working together, we were able to come up with a plan that will result in the construction of a new office annex on the Winbrook campus that will better serve the residents there and will also provide needed community space while preserving vital green spaces.
This year, we also opened a new headquarters for our Youth Bureau located at the Eastview School. The new center features a new Teen Lounge, a new fitness area and gymnasium, a small cafeteria, and new offices and meeting rooms. In addition to these new amenities, the center also houses the Youth Bureau’s Technology Center, which provides students with access to computers and the Internet. Special thanks to the White Plains School District for their partnership in this effort.
I am also proud of our new literacy program that we launched this past October, which offers English literacy classes to White Plains residents. This new program, called ESL for Daily Living, focuses on giving residents with little or no english skills the opportunity to learn how to read, write and speak English. The program has been made possible through a partnership between the White Plains Public Library, the Westchester Library System and Westchester Community College.
It’s hard to imagine not being able to read or write. But for some residents of White Plains, the inability to read or write is a harsh reality that puts them at an extreme disadvantage in today’s world. Lack of reading or writing skills can be a major hurdle in getting a job or advancing a career.
The inability to speak English makes life’s challenges that much more difficult. Whether it is helping your children with their homework, talking to your doctor about healthcare, or even shopping for groceries, basic English literacy skills are vital. And, yet sadly, many people don’t know that they can get help. And that is why I am so proud of this new program and the potential it has to positively change people’s lives.
During the upcoming year, we as a City will continue in our efforts to improve the quality of life for our residents. Within the next couple of months, I will be proposing legislation that will put in place guidelines and procedures that will begin making the new affordable housing units currently under construction available for those who qualify. I will also look for opportunities to encourage the construction of new affordable housing.
I will also continue to implement my open space initiative. Since I announced my initiative two years ago, we have made tremendous progress in acquiring properties for open space preservation. But there is still more to be done and I am hoping that 2003 will be a good year for us. Over the past several months, I have been meeting with representatives of New York Hospital to discuss the issue of parkland. Everyone acknowledges that the hospital has no legal obligation to contribute any parkland to the City. However, in meeting with the hospital, I truly believe that the hospital is interested in our community concerns and I intend to continue my dialogue with them.
This year, I also expect to expand our efforts in cracking down on illegal occupancies. Our building department has been working extremely hard to address this growing problem but there is more to be done. My administration has been working on a plan that will involve the creation of an Unsafe Housing Task Force, which will combine and coordinate the efforts of our police, fire officials, building inspectors, and our law department to target illegal and unsafe housing conditions.
I also intend to address the need for more parking in the downtown and bring to resolution the debate on whether or not to add parking decks to the Waller/Maple parking lot. There are a lot of pros and cons to the issue and we need to make a decision one way or the other.
We will also need to resolve the issue of our City Hall, which is badly in need of repairs. There are a several options that have been presented to the Council and a decision will need to be made this year. Several members of the Council, myself included, are leaning in favor of the least costly option, but so far, there has been no clear consensus.
Our most important legislative initiative this year will be for state approval of the extension of the City’s half percent of the sales tax. We go through this every two years but we shouldn’t take it for granted. Without the half percent, property owners in White Plains will face massive tax increases and reduction in services.
Even with the sales tax extension, we face some significant budget challenges this year. White Plains has not been immune from the slump in the national economy. Sales tax revenues, which make up a large percentage of our revenue stream, are less than expected. Additional, huge increases in employee pension fund costs mandated by the state have put a strain on our budget. Sadly, White Plains is not alone. Cities, towns, and villages throughout New York are facing similar problems, with significant tax increases necessary to make up the shortfall. Over the next couple of months, tough decisions will need to be made as we complete our budget and as always, I ask our residents for their understanding and support. We are all in this together. The good news is that with all the new projects coming on line this year, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for us here in White Plains.
This year, we will also have new development projects to consider, including a proposal for a $300 million hotel and condominium complex on the corner of Mamaroneck Avenue and Main Street. I also expect to see some proposed improvements at the Galleria Mall and at the Pavilion Mall. We will also be keeping a close eye on the residential project at 300 Mamaroneck Avenue.
To my colleagues on the Common Council, I would like to once again thank you all for your service to this community. Each of you in your own way have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort and I am sure that you will all agree that we had an amazing year. One thing that I have noticed in the five years that I have been Mayor is that when we unite and rally behind a common cause, we get things done. When we put aside partisan politics and do what’s best for our community, great things happen. When we look at each other as colleagues and not as competitors, we foster an environment of progress and positive change. And I would encourage each and every one of you to stay focused on our joint objectives without being distracted by the same handful of partisans who prefer political infighting and animosity over progress. There is no question in my mind that if we stand united, we will continue to break new ground and flourish as a City.
I would also like to thank our City’s new superintendent of schools, Tim Connors. Mr. Connors and I have been meeting regularly to enhance communication and to better coordinate the efforts of our City agencies and our schools and I look forward to continuing our partnership on issues of mutual concern.
I am also very grateful to our City employees, who work above and beyond the call of duty to make White Plains a better place.
Finally, to my wife Ellie, once again I would like to thank you for putting up with my crazy schedule and for your continued support. And to every resident of White Plains, I truly appreciate your faith in my administration and I look forward to many great things to come.
Thank you.
