One of the primary functions of government is to provide safe quality of life experiences for ALL residents throughout the City, regardless of where you live. It can be expected that homes, structures, and materials subjected to extreme weather conditions like ours will deteriorate over time. Therefore, the administration must identify and address these issues quickly, so they do not negatively impact neighborhoods and spread from one neighborhood to the next. As you look around, you will easily notice more and more dilapidated properties in the core of our great City. Many of our streets, sidewalks and public spaces are in dire need of attention and maintenance. Faded signs, graffiti, broken streetlights and poles, weeds and grass violations, and the lack of welcoming entryways into the City must be addressed. Stronger enforcement of the New York State Property Maintenance Code and local City ordinances teamed with the highest level of priority on maintenance is critical.

The overall appearance of our streets, buildings, sidewalks, and neighborhoods is a major component of both attracting and retaining residents and businesses. We have only one opportunity to make a first impression, so we must make sure it is the right one. When passing through a neighborhood or commercial area in disrepair, people will quickly turn away from neglected areas and may never look back. Many current residents within our community have begun questioning why they should stay in Rome if the current administration does not care about them and their neighborhoods. My administration will immediately work towards restoring areas of neglect throughout the City. We will make the necessary investments in maintenance by reallocating existing resources to focus on distressed areas, neighborhood by neighborhood. While there is no magic wand to make this happen overnight, we must not delay. The current administration has ignored these issues for far too long and if they are not addressed immediately, we risk losing these neighborhoods, and the families who live in them, forever.

A Mayor must have a vision for what is possible for their City. They must lead by example and ensure that employees, community members and organizations have the tools they need for success. Upon taking office, the Codes Department will be authorized to take on a more aggressive and proactive role in working with property owners to remediate property maintenance issues in a more responsible and timely manner. We will inventory and create processes to remove, repair or replace broken signs, streetlights, poles, and other City infrastructure in disrepair. Using an orange traffic cone to cover a broken or missing utility pole for months, and in some cases years, should not be a satisfactory solution. We must assess all public areas to create low-maintenance, low-cost solutions to maintain them properly. My administration will bring back a necessary and significant beautification program and reallocate staffing to properly take care of landscape and planting areas, public amenities, and the like. I will establish a rapid response protocol within the City workforce to address things like junk and debris, graffiti, and other eyesores. Prompt response and open communication is key to keeping your neighborhoods clean and welcoming.

Enhancing all entryways to the City will also be a top priority. Adequate signage along with proper maintenance and landscaping will help to welcome our residents’ home, and our visitors back. Attractive gateways will help to assure those looking to relocate to our community that we care.

While appearance is important, it is equally important to recognize the additional real impacts urban blight has on a community. Blighted conditions have a negative effect on surrounding property values, which not only hurt adjacent property owners, but reduce local property tax revenue. They contribute to depopulation, higher unemployment, and abandoned or vacant buildings and lots. Blighted properties present a danger to the public and must be considered a matter of public safety as they lead to increased crime and vandalism. My experience as a police officer has given me first-hand knowledge of how the City can benefit from utilizing the removal of urban blight as a crime prevention strategy. I clearly understand the importance of this issue and my administration will work with each department to build a comprehensive strategy to eliminate blight in the City and restore our neighborhoods. We will also work to make sure that neighborhoods are properly lit, which helps to reduce crime and promote safety for residents, motorists, and pedestrians.

Many of the vacant and abandoned lots and buildings are city-owned and the maintenance of them falls upon City staff. Currently, the City does not have the appropriate staffing levels to maintain these properties, allowing them to become overgrown and filled with litter. In fact, on Earth Day, several volunteers from Team Lanigan participated in the Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful cleanup. As part of that event, our team cleaned up one City-owned lot which resulted in several bags of garbage along with a significant pile of junk and debris including a television, bedframe, building materials and more. When left unkempt, vacant lots are a contributing factor to crime. In fact, a University of Pennsylvania study of 541 vacant lots conducted by Dr. John MacDonald found that reducing blight on vacant lots significantly reduced all crimes, gun assaults, and burglaries. My administration will place the highest priority on keeping these city-owned lots and buildings secure and free from junk and debris.

The dysfunction of the City’s municipal refuse collection service has not gone unnoticed and is a contributing factor to blight. And now, after three years of malpractice, the administration is finally attempting to address the issue, primarily because it is an election year. Refuse collection is one of the most essential services that a municipality must successfully provide. Proper trash and recycling collection is designed to lessen the impact on landfills, protect the environment and keep the City free from litter. Recycling also helps to save energy and keep materials out of landfills and incinerators.

Unfortunately, the administration has allowed the current City contractor to continually fail our residents. The contractor has neglected to provide an acceptable level of service that residents of the City need, deserve, and have paid for with their tax dollars. Missed pick-ups, weekly delays, and mismanagement by not only the company, but the City administration, have left residents frustrated, upset, and angry. This debacle leads to illegal dumping, unsanitary streets, an abundance of litter scattered throughout the City, and overall unsightly conditions; all of which negatively impact the Rome community.

Under my leadership, we will resolve this issue once and for all. Refuse will not be left uncollected and, if necessary, the City will facilitate collection and will bill the current contracted collection company for reimbursement of any costs or expenses incurred by the City. If the current contractor does not hold up to their end of the deal, we will dissolve our agreement and file a breach of contract against them. We will also pursue legal and financial actions against them on behalf of the Rome taxpayers. We will move to partner with a reputable and responsible contractor to provide adequate services as we did for many years prior to this failure.

Restoring Rome as a Vibrant Community matters to those that have invested here. It matters to our residents, their families, the businesses that have chosen Rome as their home, their employees, customers, and our visitors. A Vibrant Community helps to attract investment and talent and fosters an enjoyable environment for everyone to live, work, shop, and play. My mission as your Mayor will be to reestablish Rome as a Vibrant Community that ALL of us deserve!

Please visit laniganformayor.com for more information, to donate, request a sign, or to volunteer. You can also reach us by phone at 315-630-ROME (7663). Like and follow Jeff Lanigan on Facebook at https://facebook.com/laniganformayor and on Instagram at https://instagram.com/laniganformayor/.