Rochester City Council October Newsletter
From President Miguel A. Meléndez, Jr.
This month, City Council has taken steps to defend the safety of RCSD students, continued a new effort to combat childhood poverty in Rochester, and worked diligently toward a vision of Safer Neighborhoods, Quality Housing and Equitable Access to Opportunity.
City Council unanimously passed legislation this week to add bus arm cameras to City school buses, marking a major step forward for the safety of students on their way to and from school, as well as for all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians on the road. I want to thank and congratulate Councilmember Bridget A. Monroe for spearheading this effort and ensuring that families in Rochester can feel at ease sending their children to school on the bus.
At this month’s regular City Council meeting, my Council colleagues and I took time to recognize and appreciate some of the people making a difference in our community. We held a small ceremony to celebrate Rochester’s Indigenous Community in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, gave our thanks to the hard-working women in our City who provide resources and support for Breast Cancer patients and survivors, and saluted our firefighters in honor of Fire Prevention Week.
Additionally, I was thrilled to welcome former Rochester City Council President Dr. Ruth Scott, who imparted to us some of her well-earned wisdom over decades of public service and community activism. Dr. Scott was the first African-American woman elected to City Council, and went on to become the first African-American president of City Council. I know I speak for all my Council colleagues when I say we were honored to stand behind Dr. Scott and celebrate her ongoing legacy.
I would like to remind everyone in Rochester that City Council is currently conducting a survey to help us in the fight against childhood poverty. you can take the survey at https://forms.office.com/r/jeN1QJ8SDg. A Spanish version is also available at https://forms.office.com/r/CkbrSNx9Gd.
I would also like to give an update on the Good Cause Eviction legislation currently under consideration by City Council. Over the last several months we have heard from community and taken time to do our due diligence. In the coming weeks, I will release a report prepared by City Council staff which provide context for the legislation, and share a summary of findings from what we have heard from community members through various forms of engagement. The report will aim to provide City Council with the information necessary to fully consider the legislation.
Lastly, I’d like to remind everyone in Rochester to vote in the upcoming election on Nov. 5. To find your polling place or for information on voting early, you can visit monroecounty.gov/elections.
Latinx Leaders Respond to Statements Made at Rally
President Meléndez joined several Latinx elected leaders this week to condemn recent remarks made at a political rally. Read the statement below and see the News 10 story here for more.
Councilmember Monroe Leads Bus Arm Camera Push
City Council passed legislation to employ bus arm cameras on city school buses this month following longstanding advocacy on the issue by Coucncilmember Bridget A. Monroe.
“This bus arm camera legislation is a crucial step in keeping our city’s children safe as they’re boarding and leaving the school bus every day. I am proud that City Council has capitalized on an opportunity to make sure no student is harmed by a reckless driver, as my son was, getting on or off the bus,” Councilmember Monroe said. “I have fought for this safety measure since I took office in January, and I am thrilled to have the support of the Mayor and my council colleagues. By adding bus arm cameras to school buses, we will make significant strides toward a Rochester of Safer Neighborhoods, Quality Housing and Equitable Access to Opportunity — for our city’s children and for all Rochesterians.”
For more of Councilmember Monroe’s advocacy on this issue, see this story from Channel 8.
Youth Conference Rallies Rochester Against Gun Violence
The ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition Saturday gathered dozens of Rochester youth, educators and community leaders for its first annual Youth in Crisis Conference, a youth-led event aimed at curbing gun violence in Rochester.
“Youth in Rochester haven’t had enough opportunities to share their perspective or take leadership roles in our City’s fight to educate, advocate and eradicate gun violence,” said Councilmember Willie J. Lightfoot, who chairs the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition. “Today we’re changing that, and starting a conversation specifically with City youth to see what they need us to do as leaders to ensure no child in Rochester has to live in fear of gun violence.”
Held at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, the Youth in Crisis Conference featured a slate of speakers, raffles, vouchers for free services like haircuts, partnerships with City youth groups and a keynote speech from Shanterra Mitchum, Program Director of Teen Empowerment. The conference was organized by Councilmember Lightfoot and the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition, and hosted by local comedian and photographer Christopher “GoodKnews” Cardwell.
The event was also backed by all nine members of City Council, underscoring a staunch and unwavering commitment to combating gun violence in Rochester.
“This Council stands behind the work of the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition, and will continue to fight gun violence in our City through advocacy, education and policy,” said City Council President Miguel A. Meléndez, Jr., who also leads the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition Advocacy Committee. “Events like the Youth in Crisis Conference are too rare in Rochester, and it’s time that we step up to focus on the ways we can create a Rochester of Safer Neighborhoods, Quality Housing and Equitable Access to Opportunity for our children.”
The ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition plans to expand this first annual conference into a yearly event, marking a new beginning in the fight to educate, advocate and eradicate gun violence in Rochester. For more information on the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition, visit CityofRochester.Gov/ThinkAboutIt.
Help Us Fight Childhood Poverty
Rochester City Council, via the People, Parks and Public Works Committee, will hold a series of hearings with local childhood advocacy leaders as City Council Vice President LaShay D. Harris launches a new coalition-building initiative to fortify the ongoing effort to combat childhood poverty in Rochester.
Alongside the hearings, Vice President Harris will host a youth session on Nov. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park. There, Rochester youth will have an opportunity to participate in dialogue with elected officials and advocates, and offer their own ideas and experiences related to childhood poverty in the city.
Additionally, City Council has launched a new survey in collaboration with The Children’s Agenda to better understand the impact of childhood poverty. The survey, accessible at https://forms.office.com/r/jeN1QJ8SDg, will take input from city residents on the causes and solutions to childhood poverty to help inform an upcoming report by the People, Parks and Public Works Committee. Residents may also complete the survey in Spanish at https://forms.office.com/r/CkbrSNx9Gd.
City Council Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Plaques, art and other commemorative markers like the one below can be found throughout the City of Rochester. But today, it’s important to remember that all of the land in Rochester was first occupied by the Onödowa'ga:', the people of the Seneca Nation.
Keep an eye on our social media, where we’ll be sharing history and celebrating Rochester’s Indigenous community throughout the coming weeks.
Have a Happy and Safe Halloween, Rochester!
For fun, safe and community-oriented Halloween events in the city, visit https://www.cityofrochester.gov/events
Rochester May Have the Job for You
GovernmentJobs.com/Careers/CityofRochester