Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren made it official Monday night. She will run for a second, four year term.
Warren made the announcement to an overflow crowd at Brue Coffee , a café on Genesee Street in the 19th Ward, not far from where she grew up, and she says her diverse background makes her a good leader.
“It is why I am just as comfortable working to get things done in the boardroom as I am sitting on the porch on Jefferson Avenue.”
Warren ticked off a list of issues she says she has campaigned on in the past, like fighting crime, improving education and adding jobs, and she says she has had success in accomplishing those things. She also says that being the mother of a little girl is another mark in her favor.
“When you have a mayor who is also a mother ,you get a leader who will fight every day to make this city a place where all of our children can grow up to realize their full potential.”
Warren says she realizes it will be a tough campaign, “But I can assure you that I have never ran from a fight, and I don’t plan on running now; I am not scared off by hard work and I’ve never been intimated by those who have tried to control or bully me.”
Warren will likely face a Democratic Primary, with Monroe County Legislator and former police chief James Sheppard already announcing he’ll be a candidate, along with former TV journalist Rachel Barnhart. And Green Party activist Alex White also wants to seek the Democratic nomination.
(see a Facebook Live video at the end of this story)
Sheppard released this statement:
"I welcome Lovely Warren to the campaign for our next Mayor and I look forward to the opportunity for serious discussion about our city's future.
In the weeks and months ahead, I plan to show the differing visions Lovely Warren and I have about where our city has been the past three years and where it needs to be. She is correct in her statement that her administration "won't be denied their record."
I have been watching with growing alarm as our City government continues to flounder, making little if any headway on issues such as police and community relations, rampant violence, decaying relationships with neighborhood organizations and the lack of progress on jobs, poverty and education.
More disturbing is this administration's lack of action, lack of ownership and lack of acknowledgement of the serious issues we face. Public relations stunts such as 90 day listening tours and crime statistics press conferences declaring we are "safe and getting safer" are callous diversions to avoid the realities of the highest murder rate in years and an abysmal homicide clearance rate. Such proclamations ignore our city's poorest, minority neighborhoods which suffer from almost daily shootings, multiple murders and unabated gang activity. Ask them if they are safe and getting safer.
I watch as committees and panels are enacted to work on poverty and education only to fade into oblivion. Many dollars are spent with no tangible results. And even today when talking about our 47 % graduation rate - the worst in New York State's big 5 cities -Lovely Warren said "we haven't gone backward, and that's an improvement."
No, that is not an improvement, that's a deflection. It's another example of a lack of leadership and ownership of our city's problems. Ask families who hope for a better future for their children through quality education if they feel not getting worse is an improvement. Such flippant remarks are not fair to those who do not have resources for private schools and must rely on public schools.
Lovely Warren regularly takes credit for jobs and projects initiated by others, while little has begun during her tenure. Development is stagnant in our city. And neighborhoods organizations know they are not welcome in City Hall.
I plan on presenting my vision for the city, my qualifications as a leader and my resolve to be responsible to show results - not public relations and finger pointing. I plan to operate with transparency and embrace input from neighborhood organizations instead of pushing them away.
I will appoint members of city government with solid credentials and hold them accountable for results. I will start a police/community relations plan from day one - and not a 90 day publicity stunt when violence gets out of control. As a former police officer, city school official, volunteer and as an elected official, I have walked and met with residents in just about every neighborhood in our city. I know people are suffering, many feel there's no hope, too many are frightened for their safety and for the well-being of their children.
Saying that progress has been made is easy, showing measurable results is another matter. Leaders take responsibility and are not afraid to take the consequences. I look forward to this campaign and I am confident the people of the city are ready for new leadership, vision and most importantly - results."
Rachel Barnhart released this statement:
"I welcome Lovely Warren to the race for Rochester mayor. I hope Warren and James Sheppard present serious plans to reduce poverty and grow the economy. So far, our campaign is the only one that has put forth transformative and comprehensive proposals to make Rochester a city of opportunity.One-third of our residents and more than half of our children live in poverty. The city's unemployment rate is nearly triple the regional rate.I've proposed property tax reform, childcare funding, a jobs office and a citywide fiber internet network.I look forward to continuing the discussion on issues impacting our future.”
