Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens delivered her first State of the City address Thursday night and said the city is at an inflection point. She said her vision seizes the opportunities of tomorrow.
"My vision for Syracuse is it’s the best place to raise a family, grow a life and build a business," Owens said.
In a way, Owens wants to make the city more fun. That’s one reason she’s proposing the hiring of a nightlife coordinator, meant to make the city more attractive to younger people.
"We all go to work, but there's nothing for us to do after," she said. "And it's not all about partying. It's about cultural centers and art and everything else. That is what makes up a city."
Owens is also suggesting turning the Clinton Square ice skating rink into a roller skating rink during warmer months.
"I was out there one day because I don't ice skate and I just stared at it. And I was like, 'That's the same. Why can't we just do roller skating there too?' We find a surface that we can put down and then just do the roller skating down there," she said.
Owens' vision gets serious when she talks about housing. It's the biggest item on her agenda, and it includes more quickly built modular and manufactured homes, as well as fast-tracking building reviews.
"I mean people have to live in a place that is safe," said Owens. "I'm going to go home to a place that has the heat on and it's buttoned up and I feel safe in it and too many people don't feel that way."
Owens also doubled down on her promise to keep the Syracuse Police Department out of any kind of immigration enforcement actions. She called the recent deaths of protesters in Minnesota at the hands of ICE officials cruel and unacceptable.
"That's why I will continue to show up at rallies, to raise my voice, and to stand with those who are targeted," she said. "When our neighbors are treated unjustly, silence is not an option."
Owens also called for the passage of the New York for All Act, which would prevent local and state law enforcement agencies from working with ICE.
Other items on her agenda include creating a team to help people in crisis, reinvigorating the Children's Rising Center, and launching a citywide property revaluation.
