The City of Buffalo is strong and it will build upon 2011's significant accomplishments because it has the "right people in the right place at the right time." That was the theme of Mayor Byron Brown's annual State of the City address, held Wednesday afternoon inside the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
Mayor Brown boasted of accomplishments including the city's lowest tax rate in 20 years, as well as its highest credit rating in 30 years. For the past two years, he noted, Fitch has graded Buffalo's credit at A+.
Yet he also acknowledged the need for continued job growth. Among the initatives he announced was a program called "Hire Buffalo," which encourages local companies to hire at least one Buffalo resident within the next year.
He also spoke of development plans including a $26 million transformation of the Martin Luther King Park neighborhood and an invitation to the development community to submit ideas for a plot near the waterfront known as the Webster Block.
"Located directly across from First Niagara Center is the most sought after piece of land in Buffalo," Brown said. "Later this month, my administration will issue a request for proposals for developers to present ideas on how to develop this block."
The Mayor also spoke of a decrease in violent crime in the city, most notably the lowest homicide rate in many years. Overall crime, he said, is down 16% since he took office in 2006. Brown spoke of hiring more police officers and firefighters in the coming year.
There were two moments that actually drew light jeers from a group of Occupy protestors who were in attendance: when the mayor spoke of installing additional security cameras on city streets and when speaking of Benderson Development's plan to convert the former Donovan State Building into a hotel space. His speech was otherwise well received by several hundred invited guests including business leaders, public officials and at least one young woman who was hired by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus after attending one of the mayor's job fairs last year.
The entire State of the City address can be heard on the audio link.
