The Honorable Mayor William Lantigua
State of the City Address
May 3, 2011
“Making Progress”

To Mr. President Moran, City Councilors, those who have gathered here in these chambers, and those watching from home, good evening.

Tonight I am here to talk about our Great City of Lawrence. Tonight marks the first time since 2001 that a Mayor has issued this address directly to the City Council as is required under our Charter.

Just 16 months ago, I took a sacred oath to maintain the integrity and honor of the Office of Mayor of the Great City of Lawrence. Tonight, I am proud to say that I have always acted with honesty and with the utmost respect for the awesome responsibilities that I have sworn to uphold.

It’s been a tough 16 months. We inherited a financial mess. We were asked to make some drastic changes. We were forced to make some tough decisions. At times, our actions have not been popular. But, working together as a legislative body and as an executive branch of government, we have made tremendous strides to improve our great City.

Tonight I am happy to inform all of you that contrary to what our critics say, the state of our great City is strong. We are making progress in many areas of City Government, and working together will only make us stronger.

Since last April, my administration has been working cooperatively with our state-appointed fiscal overseer, Mr. Robert Nunes, to get our financial house in order. By working with this City Council, we have done just that.

Since taking office last year, I have proactively made reforms and efficiencies in the way we manage our City government. We are better using our internal accounting system to red-flag expenses or encumbrances that exceed a voted appropriation. Since taking office, all Department of Revenue requirements have been met, on time and on budget.

I have implemented Mayoral review of all expenses in excess of $1,000 and of all overtime requests in an effort to help lower some of these costs. We have reduced the excessive number of take-home vehicles that left our City for the suburbs on a daily basis, and have eliminated other wasteful initiatives that were carry-overs from previous administrations.

I have initiated an aggressive collection program of outstanding property taxes and overdue water and sewer bills, and we are seeing increases in this long-awaited revenue for the first time in decades.

Among our most important accomplishments this year was the successful transition to the Group Insurance Commission of all municipal and school employees, a change that will save the City in excess of $4 million and cost avoidance in the next fiscal year. We will also realize substantial savings with the recent transition of our retirees to the Medicare system.

While I could continue to speak of our City’s economic progress, I am pleased to report developments in other areas of municipal governing and in our schools such as Education, Public Safety, Economic Development, Public Infrastructure, Housing and Community Services.

Progress is being made in Education:
In January I stated I wanted to focus on stabilizing the Lawrence Public Schools, which have been rocked by controversy for decades. Today, I am happy to state that our school system is making strides, and is showing signs of improvement. Even so, I remain concerned by areas of underperformance. Just this past weekend, I had the opportunity to watch “Waiting for Superman,” a documentary on the Washington, DC, public school district. I believe that the bar should be raised in our classrooms. The academic demands on our students should be greater, and I expect them to show more improvement in the coming year. I have asked for stricter monitoring of our Level 4 schools and a stronger turnaround plan to put our students on a path to success. Our students represent our future, just as a solid education represents theirs.

In the coming days I will introduce legislation to this Council requesting a home rule petition to increase the dropout age from 16 to 18 for the City of Lawrence. This will require approval by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, but I believe it is a necessary throughout our City and State. I hope I have your support.

Progress is being made in Public Safety:
Let’s face it: we have seen deep cuts to our police and fire department personnel. My team remains committed to negotiating with our unions to restore these departments to previous staffing levels. However, without union concessions, we will be unable to reach this goal. I want Lawrence to be safe for residents and visitors alike, and I want to work with our public safety departments, both police and fire, to maintain their strong presence in our community. I’m happy to report that as a result of ongoing collaboration, the City obtained a $6.6 million Safer Grant for the Lawrence Fire Department. Under the leadership of Acting Chief Jack Bergeron, 19 firefighters returned to work last month. Tomorrow morning, another 9 recruits will begin training to join one of the finest departments in the Commonwealth.

By closely monitoring the Police Department budget, my administration has been able to bring back 9 police officers since July 1st. Many don’t speak of this, but we are trying very hard within strict fiscal constraints to increase our numbers for a more visible patrol. I will continue to advocate that every officer that we bring back be placed on patrol until our staffing levels can support the deployment of special units and expanded administrative office duties. These 9 officers are as committed as ever to serving our City, and nobody welcomed them back more gratefully than I did. My administration will continue to work with the City Council to find additional ways to hire more police officers to patrol our streets. Recently, we learned of a COPS grant for which the Police Department will be applying, and I will ask our expert James Barnes of Community Development to assist in making sure our application is the best submitted. Regardless of the cuts to our workforce, both departments will continue to respond to all calls for service and to do more with less.

Progress is being made in Economic Development:
Last year, I spoke about the alarming unemployment rate and the need for more economic development initiatives within our City. Tonight, it gives me great satisfaction to say that we have seen tremendous interest from those wishing to invest in Lawrence. We recently welcomed J.S.B. Industries and their $12-million investment to Andover Street. We also completed negotiations on the CVS development in the heart of Broadway which will occupy almost an entire city block. A number of vibrant small businesses have opened on Essex Street, including Café Verde, Madrags, and a new Dental Bright office. Sal’s Riverwalk continues to expand, with Solectra Energy and a new Northern Essex Community College Computer Center added to the site this year. We just learned of Charles Daher’s intention to expand dealer operations of Commonwealth Motors on Marston Street, and Al Torrisi’s of Jackson Lumber’s commitment to stay in Lawrence and to expand his family business on Market Street.

Over the course of the next few months we will be unveiling a strategic plan for the Essex Street corridor. Under this plan, a joint effort between the City and Mass Development, we will work with existing building owners to revitalize our downtown area and bring much-needed new jobs to our residents. We will also be announcing significant news on new companies opening in Lawrence.

Progress is being made in Infrastructure and Capital Improvements:
Despite limited resources, we have seen significant public investment in our City over the course of the past year. Highlights of these initiatives include:

• Repaving of Lawrence Street, Auburn Street, Cedar Street, Russell Street, and Green Street which has helped improve quality of life in those areas.
• Improvements to Cronin Park and Costello Park through the PARC Grants Program along with recent improvements to the Howard Park.
• Construction of a new three-lane bridge over the canal to facilitate the flow of traffic on Island Street, which is seeing substantial improvements due to the Union Crossing development.
• The opening of a new, 850-space parking lot in the Gateway Redevelopment Area.
• Rehabilitation of the Lisa Lane sewer lift station.
• Rehabilitation of the Mt. Vernon elevated water storage tanks.
• Renovation of the Senior Center on Haverhill Street.

Moving forward, I will work with our DPW Director and City Engineer to unveil a comprehensive road improvement program to more effectively utilize our Chapter 90 road repair funding. The people of this City have spoken, and they have waited long enough. Our roads require a great deal of repair, and we will begin an aggressive plan in the coming weeks to address the needs of each and every district City-wide. Our Chapter 90 money was increased this year and we will do our utmost to manage it wisely.

In the months ahead, we will also embark on a capital program for our water and sewer departments. A three-phase project implemented over the next two and half years will culminate in the installation of new meters in every home and commercial property.

We will also begin improvements on Campagnone Common with the help of a recent $300,000 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. When this work is finished, the Common will once again be a showpiece and source of pride for our residents.

Perhaps this summer’s most exciting development will be the start of construction of the Spicket River Greenway. The City was recently awarded a $2.6-million grant to build a walking and riding path along the Spicket River to the mouth of the Merrimack River. This project, which is expected to be completed in June 2012, will be a true gem for all to enjoy for years to come. Thanks to Groundwork Lawrence for their ongoing teamwork.

Progress is being made in Housing Initiatives:
We have seen and will continue to benefit from strong investment in our housing stock City-wide. To name a few:

• The Union Crossing Development on Island Street is well underway, and will revitalize 240,000 square feet of mill space for residential and commercial use. This development is currently providing over 100 construction jobs.
• Peabody Properties completed 18 units of housing at the former Saunders School site on South Broadway.
• Sacred Heart has completed 44 units of independent housing for those aged 55 and older.
• The City of Lawrence has sold approximately $800,000 in property to help stabilize our neighborhoods and supplement the General Fund.

Moving forward, we will continue to deal proactively with the foreclosure crisis by partnering with our strong non-profit organizations, like Lawrence Community Works which provide prevention programs and public education to help maintain the integrity of our neighborhoods. Under the leadership of our Community Development Director, our Community Development programs remain effective and well focused.

Progress is being made in Community Services:
Throughout the City, we are striving to deliver an increase in core services even with limited resources. The Senior Center welcomed over 285 new visitors and provided over 22,000 units of service to our Community. The Lawrence Public Library opened its doors to a record number of patrons, offering enhanced computer services along with traditional media, audio-visual materials, and a series of educational and entertainment programs. I promised to make City Hall more accessible when I was elected, and I think we all can agree that the new City website is much more user-friendly and informative. My office door remains open to you all, elected officials and citizens alike.

Last year, I challenged Lawrence residents to get more involved in their community. I’m proud to report that for the past year a group of volunteers made up of men, women, and children has crossed this City cleaning up vacant lots, parks, and other neighborhood blight. The group, Hands United, just kicked off its second season this past weekend and will once again be taking to the streets. In the coming weeks I will be announcing a downtown clean-up program to encourage merchants, and the rest of us, to keep our City clean.

In closing, I want to emphasize that I am confident about tomorrow. Even with the many challenges that we have faced and major issues still to be addressed, I remain confident in the state of our City. I ask all of you to join me in refusing to allow distractions to take us off our daily course. In the coming year we can expect to see ongoing fiscal recovery and a steady stream of capital improvements that will enhance our quality of life. With your cooperation, we will enjoy a renewed sense of energy, passion, and desire to make the City of Lawrence truly great. I look forward to our continued progress.

Thank you!