Good morning to all of you.
Thank you for taking the time to share this important event with me. Time is precious. The fact that you’ve chosen to spend part of your weekend with me is appreciated.
I want to thank my mother for her introduction. I can’t begin to tell you the valuable lessons and many moments of inspiration that my mother has blessed me with. Two that I have never forgotten are these:
No matter what it is in life that you choose to be, be the very best, and
Remember that when you have no one else, you always have each other.
So it is fitting on this Mother’s Day weekend, that I’m able to be with my mother and take another step towards honoring the values she has instilled in me.
This is a very important time in the history of the City of Buffalo. Buffalo has had an inspiring history and in my vision for the future of Buffalo I see that amazing story.
I see a Buffalo that is an appealing place to live, work and raise a family.
I see a Buffalo that builds upon its assets, rather than looking for silver bullet projects.
I see a Buffalo that fulfills its obligation to educate its youth, so that they are prepared for the future.
I see a Buffalo that fosters growth and opportunity throughout all neighborhoods, and not just in a few isolated areas.
And I see a Buffalo that has become a role model for other cities in the industrial northeast, not by chasing impossible dreams, but by dealing realistically with the challenges it faces.
That is why today I am announcing my candidacy for Mayor of the City of Buffalo.
And if you see the future the way I do, I am asking you to join me.
We face many challenges and the need for strong, effective leadership, has never been greater.
First, we all know that our educational system simply does not work. 44 of Buffalo’s 57 public schools have been designated as failing.
As Mayor, I will work with all stakeholders, to put an end to the shame of our public schools.
Buffalo’s taxpayers give the Board of Education $70 million dollars each year, and that contribution demands that the children in Buffalo are provided with the best, the most innovative, and most effective educational opportunities.
Education is a city-wide problem that affects our entire community and it requires community response at all levels.
I’m not a career politician. I come from a family of educators. My Mom, my brother Herb, my son Eric, my daughter Nicole and several other family members are or have been educators. My first job after getting my Master’s Degree from the University of Buffalo was as a teacher at Bennett High School.
My life’s successes are attributable to my education in Buffalo Public Schools.
It is heart wrenching for me to see now, the school system that helped me become who I am, failing our children.
We must see every child in this city as if he or she were our own and fight for real results.
Job growth is a must for the City of Buffalo. Buffalo suffers the distinction of being the 3rd poorest city in the United States. I will lead this great City with my national and international management experience in my tool chest.
We must explore ways to establish solid and sustained entrepreneurial involvement in all of our economic drivers to ensure that no one in any neighborhood is left behind.
My principles are simple. Integrity, honesty, transparency and collaboration with the People of Buffalo; and I believe that adherence to these principles will change Buffalo’s negative political image.
Investors need to know that they can trust City Hall to deal with quality of life issues in our downtown area as well as throughout our city. Young workers will be a significant factor in our future economy. They will be attracted to vibrant downtown areas.
A city is only as strong as its weakest neighborhood. Whatever the vantage point, whether Black Rock-Riverside, Broadway-Fillmore, Jefferson Avenue, South Buffalo, the Lower West Side or Kensington-Bailey, the view should be one of a city with clean, thriving, energetic neighborhoods.
And together we can implement a strategy that works. I pledge to be the steward for growth for the good of the people and a better Buffalo for all.
In meetings I’ve attended, I’ve heard what people want, what they need and expect. I’ll meet those needs and exceed those expectations.
My strategy for neighborhood development focuses on the people who live in those neighborhoods.
Demolishing buildings is not a viable strategy to solve all of our challenges. We must have something to build upon. Many of the homes in the City can be brought back to life and our historic buildings should be rehabilitated.
Forbes Magazine recently named Buffalo the 10th most dangerous city in the United States. We have work to do to show the nation that we will be a safe metropolis where anyone would love to call home.
With my more than two decades of experience as an FBI Agent I know that crime and safety are nuanced, but there are smart best practices that we can deploy to improve our image and the crime and safety realities inside the city.
We need to provide our police officers and our fire fighters with the best level of training and do all we can to support making every man and woman in uniform proficient in the latest technologies and methodologies and recognize the tremendous service they provide to our community.
We must make our streets a place where seniors and all others are not fearful of leaving their homes.
Buffalo is my home. This is where I was born, raised and educated. I grew up in the Willert Park Projects. I graduated from Buffalo public schools and got my Bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of Buffalo.
I’ve been fortunate to have had a successful professional career and I attribute much of that success to people and experiences from my Buffalo roots.
My three children are all city residents and I have one granddaughter and another on the way. I want nothing more than for them and every other person here to be able to stay in Buffalo and not feel that they have to move to the suburbs or another area of the country to have a vibrant and thriving life.
As I embark upon this journey, I could not do so without knowing that I have my family solidly behind me. I want to tell them how grateful I am for the support that they’ve already given me as well as for the times I’m going to need their strength going forward.
I want you all to know that I have heard you and I will continue to listen. I am committed to winning this office and I am motivated by a deep and abiding passion to strengthen Buffalo by connecting the community to an honest agenda that realizes a direction for the city that so many are eager to see and that we all deserve to see.
Buffalo has given so much to me, it only seems right that I do my part to give back to my city.
I hold dear the valuable lessons like: No matter what it is in life that you choose to be, be the very best, and Remember that when yo
u have no one else, you always have each other. I feel so fortunate that I have my family behind me.
u have no one else, you always have each other. I feel so fortunate that I have my family behind me.
If you can see the future in the way that I do and if you also believe in a better Buffalo for all, please join me and I will fight and push forward until we all realize the results together.
Thanks again to all of my family, friends and supporters for coming out to share this very important time with me.
With your continued support, I know that we can take this campaign to the ultimate success in November.
Thank you and God Bless you God Bless this great City.