Mayoral Candidates Talk Housing

By Alex Crichton/Helen Biandudi

Rochester, NY – Two mayoral candidates Tuesday outlined their redevelopment plans.
Democrat Tom Richards says he'll be focusing on three areas: neighborhood investment, downtown revitalization, and public/private partnerships.
Alex White, the Green Party candidate, said there are close to 4-thousand vacant homes owned by the city of Rochester.
He says it's time to stop using tax payer dollars just to tear down these properties, but rather renovate them and get them back on the tax rolls.
White says city residents have faced difficulties in the past trying to refurbish abandoned homes.
If elected mayor, White says he'll facilitate a relationship between City Hall and residents to implement a plan to re-use and restore vacant properties in city neighborhoods.
He also wants to work with unions in order to create jobs and refurbish as many of the vacant homes as possible.
Democrat Tom Richards argues there aren't enough potential home buyers around in the city.
That's because the city was built for 350-thousand people, and the population now is around 200-thousand people.
He says there's simply not enough demand for the housing Rochester has.
Richards says the city's Focused Investment Project focuses on city neighborhoods already.
Working Families and Independence Party mayoral candidate Bill Johnson is expected to outline his ideas, and respond to the White and Richards' plans sometime this week.