“RENEWING the PROMISE of SYRACUSE”

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A 50 Point Plan for a 21st Century City

the PLAN
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As Mayor, I will strive to improve the quality of life in the City of Syracuse by developing and implementing progressive
policies steeped in innovation, transparency, community engagement, and a zeal for bold, equitable leadership that
provides 21st Century responses to Syracuse’s 21st Century challenges and opportunities.

My 50 Point Plan will cover six major policy areas: Economic Development and Job Creation, Education and Youth, Public Safety,
Sustainability and the Environment, Community Development, Housing, and Neighborhoods, and Government Modernization and
Efficiency. Within each of these six areas I will outline broad goals and the specific strategies which collectively will create a critical mass of
public action. This outline will provide clarity to city government that will bring transparency for our citizens, predictability for business
people, and a cohesive plan of action that will drive the operations of a united city workforce toward a cogent vision. The policy strategies
found herein will also pull from best practices found in cities around the country and around the world. These areas provide the framework
for a platform that will usher in an era of innovation and vigor in city government.

While setting goals and defining strategies that will bring about the change our community so desperately needs, the links between these
policy areas will also be clearly illustrated. Focused solutions and targeted actions in each area will be imperative to achieve significant
results, but it is this holistic and integrated approach to governance that will bring about synergistic impacts and lasting change.
Throughout this document you will find an emphasis on coordination within city government that gets departments and their personnel out
of their traditional silos and into a more dynamic and creative atmosphere. This atmosphere will be the engine that creates efficiencies in
the government and generates multi-disciplinary solutions to meet the complex problems our city faces.

Section One Section Four

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT and JOB CREATION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING and
NEIGHBORHOODS
Section Two
EDUCATION and YOUTH Section Five
SUSTAINABILITY and the ENVIRONMENT
Section Three
PUBLIC SAFETY Section Six
GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION and
EFFICIENECY

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Section Six
GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION and EFFICIENCY
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New York State is an old government entity. With legally city departments. Syrastat can serve as an excellent base of data
designated cities, towns and villages dating back hundreds of years and process to make sure that we are making year to year
many of the government structures we still hold now were first improvements. This system must also set clear targets though
realized in those early days. Designations like city, town and village and illustrate forecasting of projected demographics, revenues
have meaning when it comes to taxation and municipal regulation and required services to be more effective. This tool should also
and municipal service. But what else do they mean? Do these be used geographically to determine areas of greatest need across
designations reflect today’s realities? If we had to make our city functions in order to take our levels of service and efficiency
governments in New York State over again today, would we make to a new intensity.
them the same way?
Concurrently, these systems must also be transparent so the
These are the questions we need to be asking ourselves and each public can always be clear on what their government is doing and
other as we face the tough fiscal and service related challenges ahead. why it is doing it. it is important for the citizenry to understand
We must put all that we know about government services here in the rationale that is being employed to make decisions with their
Central New York under firm examination as we assess the benefits tax dollars.
and problems that exist. We must strive to make our city
government more effective and efficient while also keeping an eye And even as we strive each day to make city operations more
towards how our region provides services across municipal innovative, more efficient, more targeted, and more accessible we
boundaries. must also engage in the tough but important conversations about
where we go from here as a region. True reform has been long
We must take an innovative approach to service provision, always deferred in this state. In order for us to meet the challenges that
considering how new technology and new media can be employed for government is facing and will face in the coming years, we must
better services and communication with the public. New technology think outside of the box and think critically about what is right
can aid us in our efforts to save money and provide better, more for the future of this community.
targeted services.
We can no longer afford to just try to do the same old things a
We must also strive to employ the most talented, qualified workforce little bit better. It is time for us to fundamentally change how we
to administer these innovative programs and services. We are do the people’s business here in the City of Syracuse and explore
fortunate to have world-class academic institutions, expert organized the new ways that we might improve the quality of life for
labor and incredibly dedicated, hard working individuals here in our ourselves and for future generations of Syracusans.
city. We must tap into our incredible human resources to put the
best expertise to work in our city government.

Steps must also be taken to push our data management and quality
control systems as far as possible to maximize efficiency across

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Section Six
GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION and EFFICIENCY (summary)
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GOALS STRATEGY #47

• Remake a City government that provides

Pursue the creation of an Airport Authority for Syracuse
Hancock International Airport.
better services at higher efficiency.
• Pursue service sharing agreements with STRATEGY #48
other local governments. Create a city government structure that is logical for
• Advance government modernization operational effectiveness, conducive to innovation and
conversations in our community. creativity, clear for citizens to understand and most
efficient with our limited city resources.
• Use technology to foster improved
communication and participation in STRATEGY #49
civic affairs.
Develop a fully integrated data management and
mapping system that tracks and illustrates current
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service deployment and areas of need in order to more
effectively and efficiently guide public services and
investments.
STRATEGY #45
Provide personnel solutions that promote cross-
departmental action and creates higher efficiency, greater STRATEGY #50
effectiveness and maximizes overall public investment. Reach out to government leaders in Onondaga County
and the Central New York region to explore new ideas
for service sharing and government modernization.
STRATEGY #46
Develop a multi-media approach to communicating the
goals, strategies, actions, progress, and public meetings and
participation opportunities of the city government in order
to create transparency and promote civic awareness and
engagement.

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Section Six
GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION and EFFICIENCY (cont’d.)
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GOALS other top level personnel that can spearhead major projects and
fast track important initiatives. This city staff must fit within a
• Remake a City government that provides logical government structure that is easy for citizens as well as
those within the government to understand, but it is important
better services at higher efficiency. that we have dynamic employees that can create the kind of
• Pursue service sharing agreements with synergy and coordination that a 21st Century government needs
to find greater success.
other local governments.
• Advance government modernization
STRATEGY #46
conversations in our community.
• Use technology to foster improved
Develop a multi-media approach to communicating the
goals, strategies, actions, progress, and public meetings
communication and participation in and participation opportunities of the city government
civic affairs. in order to create transparency and promote civic
awareness and engagement.
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The City’s Syrastat program has played a very
important role in how city services are deployed throughout our
STRATEGY #45 many neighborhoods over the last eight years. This program has
placed an emphasis on operational awareness and year to year
Provide personnel solutions that promote cross- data tracking. However, this program often lacks the kind of
departmental action and creates higher efficiency, greater goal-setting and transparency that would enhance citizen
effectiveness and maximizes overall public investment. awareness and engagement.

I believe that in order for city government to step into the I believe tax payers have a right to know what their
21st Century we need city staff that are able to think critically, plan and government is doing and what the rationale is for action. As
take action across departments. While we do have very talented Mayor I would put further power to our data management and
people within each of the existing city departments, we are lacking the quality control systems by setting clear goals and targets for
personnel to take this larger view. A view that could create exciting services, and clearly articulating our goals, actions, measures and
new programs, spur synergistic planning and project operations, and outcomes to the public. The City’s website could be the perfect
create greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness for our tax payers. venue for this kind of communication. This kind of open and

In order to achieve these goals I believe we need a more

logical personnel structure that incorporates a planning office and

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Section Six
GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION and EFFICIENCY (cont’d.)
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transparent operation is not only good government, it also has the For decades we have heard about how organizations in
potential to generate intense public interest and engagement in the government and business need to break out of their traditional
democratic process. Greater participation and buy-in from our silos in order to achieve a higher level of success. Still, we deal
citizens will only further empower our community to turn the page to a with the same silos today in city government. Currently the
brighter future for the City of Syracuse. City’s operating departments are somewhat arbitrarily placed
under a different Director with little regard for how the
operations of one department under the purview of
STRATEGY #47 Administration might be critically linked to the operations of
Pursue the creation of an Airport Authority for Syracuse another department under Operations. While a certain amount
Hancock International Airport. of communication does regularly take place between
Commissioners, each department seems to identify as its own
organization unto itself rather than as part of one larger united
Our airport is one of our most important community organization – the city government.
gateways. For many visitors to our great city the airport is the first
thing they see and the first place they experience. First impressions
are important. We must make sure that Hancock International This mindset is incredibly detrimental to achieving
Airport has the facilities and amenities that showcase the beauty, fully coordinated public services that yield better outcomes and
hospitality and vitality of our city and our region. synergistic results that save money. Relatively minor changes to
the current structure can be made to significantly increase
efficiency and promote a more logical and easy to understand
The creation of an airport authority will offer a model for arrangement. Structural and personnel changes can be made
financing that will free up the City’s ability to bond for other projects reasonably quickly and can help us make a more streamlined and
while adequate financing of the airport facilities themselves will not be creative city government.
dependent on the City’s ability to issue bonds. As we are
constitutionally limited in our ability to issue bonds, it is important
that the airport receives the kind of upgrades and maintenance that is STRATEGY #49
required to have a first-rate facility. As we face even tougher financial Develop a fully integrated data management and
challenges ahead, it will be important for us to use creative strategies mapping system that tracks and illustrates current
like this to solve difficult problems with financing and quality service. service deployment and areas of need in order to more
effectively and efficiently guide public services and
STRATEGY #48 investments.
Create a city government structure that is logical for
operational effectiveness, conducive to innovation and
creativity, clear for citizens to understand and most efficient
with our limited city resources.

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Section Six
GOVERNMENT MODERNIZATION and EFFICIENCY (cont’d.)
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Compiling data regarding service needs and service is, how are the next critical opportunities going to be presented in our
provision is incredibly important. Budgeting and operational community? How will that vitality spread through our community and
decisions are often based on such data. However, without a how is our community defined? And who is able to achieve that self-
comprehensive and graphically detailed mapping component to our actualization? We must rethink our ideas of community.
data management systems, how are we to truly know if we are
providing services in the most effective and efficient possible ways? As Mayor I intend to reach out to other leaders here in
Central New York to discuss their visions for success as well as mine. I
The City’s Syrastat data management and quality control believe we can find much common ground that can serve as a basis for
system must be linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool future success. Through this communication and desire to improve
that can overlay myriad indicators that can better aid us in making the quality of life I believe that we as a city and as a region can reach a
decisions about service deployment across all departments. We need brighter future for Syracuse and Central New York.
to be able to more fully understand the connections between housing
issues, code information, schools, social service needs, proximity to
parks and open space, police force deployment, location of structure
fires and countless other indicators. Without a geographic
representation of these factors it is very difficult to equitably and
effectively provide public services without wasting finite resources.

STRATEGY #50
Reach out to government leaders in Onondaga County and
the Central New York region to explore new ideas for service
sharing and government modernization.

While it is a fundamental responsibility to improve how our

city government functions for the people of Syracuse, and a
responsibility as Mayor that I will not take lightly, it will also be
important to explore how Central New York can achieve better
outcomes through new models of governance.

Every point in my plan as Mayor is in keeping with a vision

for our city. That vision is one of opportunity, vitality and self-
actualization for our community. I am committed to passionately
pursuing that vision. What we must ask ourselves as we move forward