HOW MAYOR IS BUILDING COMMUNITY OF WEALTH IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK BY BIDEN FORUM! (3003 hits)
For Immediate Release From Biden Forum!
Progress and prosperity have often been unequally shared in cities around the country. In many ways, Rochester, NY, is no different — a city with a rich history of innovation and social progress, but also of disinvestment, poverty, and institutional racism. I see the suffering on the faces of far too many people in the community that raised me, and I hear their pain in the stories they share.
But as Rochester’s mayor, there is something else I know: This city and its people hold unlimited potential to create new systems designed to work for the betterment of all, and not just the select few.
At the beginning of my first term, I created the Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives to develop ways to combat poverty. We have had many successes, including the rollout of alternative, affordable transportation methods like Vanpool and Bikeshare; interest-free microloans through the crowdfunding platform Kiva Rochester; and a study detailing race- and gender-based wage disparities in our city. Despite these wins, there was a missing piece. So, upon my inauguration for a second term, I announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Community Wealth Building — an ambitious endeavor to ensure everyone in Rochester benefits from the economic recovery of our city.
The Office will lead a cross-sector coalition to foster financial stability for residents; build new and equitable systems of business and entrepreneurial development; fight to raise wages to ensure that all who work hard are able to live a happy and comfortable life; and create opportunities to build intergenerational wealth for those who have historically been denied the chance to do so. And, it will work with the community at every step in the process so that the voice of the people is reflected in every decision made.
