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STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESSJanuary 17, 2015Mayor George K. HeartwellGrand Rapids, MichiganGood morning and welcome to the State of the City Address. I’m delighted to again this year have a full house for this event. You are awesome citizens and the State of City Breakfast is an annual reminder of how very fortunate I am to have served you as your mayor for eleven years.A special note of thanks this year to all of you who brought books! We didn’t know how this would go over and you exceeded our expectations! All these books will go to the Literacy Center of West Michigan to be distributed through their family literacy program. My very first State of the City address in 2004 cited an unacceptably high rate of illiteracy in Grand Rapids and challenged the community to come together to improve the quality of life and the economic opportunity of those who struggle to read. The Literacy Center has been an incredible partner for these past eleven years and helped us develop the Community Literacy Initiative that is aggressively working on a goal of cutting the illiteracy rate in half. Dr. Wendy Falb, the Executive Director of the Literacy Center is here this morning with her staff. Wendy reminded me that the Center always needs volunteers to tutor in reading. Susan Heartwell is a reading tutor for an adult ESL learner and has found the experience enjoyable. Wendy and staff, would you please stand and receive our thanks for the work you do.It’s always a special treat to have fellow elected officials in attendance. Hold your applause please until all are standing:City CommissionCity ComptrollerState Board of EducationRepresentatives of US Senators and CongressmanState Senators and RepresentativesColleague MayorsKent County Commissioners and Drain CommissionerGrand Rapids Community College Board of TrusteesGRPS School Board membersGrand Rapids Library Board membersJudgesLadies and gentlemen, these women and men serve you tirelessly as your elected representatives. Please join me in thanking them.I’m delighted to have members of my Mayor’s Youth Council here this morning. During the course of the year these students get a great civics lesson as well as an opportunity to be the voice of youth on local issues with me and the Commission.I’m also so pleased to have our Downtown Safety Ambassadors with us this morning. This program is popular with downtown workers and residents and very helpful for downtown visitors. These Ambassadors are out in the bitter cold and the withering heat, always ready to help no matter what the situation demands.I have one final note of appreciation this morning. Mayor’s Youth Council members please bring Jane Bush in. Jane is my Administrative Assistant and organizes this State of the City event every year. When I was elected I chose to make the State of the City Address a significantly larger and more complicated event than it had ever been before and Jane rose to the challenge. She has served three mayors over the past 30 years. Jane will be retiring this year but she leaves a legacy of loyalty, hard work and creativity. Please join me in thanking Jane Bush.INTRODUCTIONWith age, experience and, hopefully, maturity come deepening reflection on those things that matter most. Age strips away the petty, the meaningless, the trivial. At some point we realize that, even if we enjoy the biblical three score and ten years there are fewer years ahead of us than there are behind. The hourglass holds less sand than the mind and body want to admit.There are those incredible clarifying moments when, in a flash, we are reminded of the grains of sand remaining. The doctor says, “You have cancer.” The recognition comes that the knee that’s covered thousands of miles of wilderness trails and city streets won’t get you to the corner without pain. I have had both of those clarifying moments. The cancer diagnosis came 32 days after being elected Mayor; the knee replacement much more recently. Each time, you pull back, reassess, shed the superfluous and embrace the meaningful.I had another such clarifying moment recently. The voters said, “Irrespective of the job you’ve done, we don’t think anyone ought to serve as mayor for as long as you have.” OK. That clarifies!In clarifying moments the natural human tendency is to look backwards. See all the good things we’ve done! Let’s list them. Savor them. Talk endlessly about them. Relive each sweet victory and repress every dismal failure.However, we’re not going to do that. I choose to look ahead with eager anticipation to the good that yet remains to be done while I have life, a new knee…and one full year remaining in office. If I might allow myself only one backward glance it would be to point out to you the amazing alchemy that exists on the Grand Rapids City Commission. It has been my privilege to serve with 20 different City Commissioners over my tenure both as City Commissioner in the Third Ward and as Mayor. No Commission on which I have served has gelled as well as this one. No Commissioners with whom I’ve served have worked harder or taken their responsibilities any more seriously than these Commissioners. We are a thoughtful policy body, a unified group of budget overseers, and a careful and considerate custodian of the tax resources available to us. Together, we have led an unprecedented transformation of the City we love. I could not be prouder to have served with any other group of representatives than these women and men. Would you please join me in thanking them for their service to the citizens of Grand Rapids.I am an optimist. And that means that I am confident that the electors of Grand Rapids will put in office smart, dedicated and hard-working people to fill our shoes. And I am equally confident that, with the time remaining, this Commission will accomplish amazing things. This morning I will outline some of the work that lies ahead; the important work of the City of Grand Rapids that our current team has one year together to accomplish.CHAMPIONS OF DIVERSITYLet me start with a very human dimension to our work: equity for all people. I am proud of the way our community has wrestled with questions of diversity and inclusion. What we share is a vision for an inclusive community in which no distinction of race or ethnicity, no division of youth and age, no separation of disabled and abled, no difference of gender or gender orientation, and no variety of faith practiced put any one group of people in a disadvantaged place vis-à-vis any other group. That is our vision and, to the extent that we still fall short of achieving that vision, it remains our central challenge as a people living in this time and place.Over the years I have used this forum to bring your attention to those individuals or organizations that are championing the cause of diversity and inclusion. Here we have recognized contractors, civil rights leaders, college and university presidents, youth in our schools, elected officials and faith leaders. Today it is my delight to give the Champion of Diversity Award to four individuals who have dedicated their lives to advancing equity for persons with disabilities.This year’s Champions are Rae Bower, David Bulkowski, Joanne Reeves and Christopher Smit. Let me tell you a bit about each and then invite them, or their representatives, to come forward and receive our collective thanks with your applause.Rae Bower was a long-time advocate for disability rights. Her passion was obvious and her voice was clear and prophetic. She served on our Community Relations Commission and on the Disability Advocates of Kent County. I have not known a stronger advocate for fairness and equal treatment of persons with disability. Death silenced Rae’s voice in 2013, but her example has inspired countless others who have taken up the cause. Rae’s husband Doug is here this morning to receive the award in her memory.David Bulkowski is the Director of Disability Advocates of Kent County, a licensed attorney, and a member of the Kent County Board of Commissioners. David modestly suggested that I give the award to his organization and not to him. But I won that argument for, in a very real sense, David Bulkowski and Disability Advocates are inseparable. The organization trains disabled persons for employment, works with employers to prepare workplaces for disabled workers, and promotes compliance in all sectors with the Americans With Disabilities Act. David recognizes the importance of mobility options for persons with disability. He helped form Faith in Motion, an interfaith advocacy organization, and he co-chairs the Friends of Transit organization that has four successful transit millage campaigns under its belt. His work has advanced the cause of fairness for those with disabilities not only here in Kent County but throughout the state of Michigan.We all knew Joanne Reeves as the spirit of Festival of the Arts. From set-up to tear-down, if something was happening, Joanne never left Calder Plaza. In her motorized chair she managed to be everywhere at once. “I just saw Joanne at the Calder stage.” “Impossible, I just saw her at Rosa Parks.” “No, you’re both wrong. I just passed her at the souvlaki booth!” To know Joanne was to understand that disability need not slow one down; disability need not isolate one from community; disability need not limit one’s level of commitment. We lost our dear Joanne last year and Festival will not be the same without her. Here to receive the award In Joanne’s memory is her mother Sally Reeves.Dr. Christopher Smit is Associate Professor of Media Studies at Calvin College, a Board member of Disability Advocates of Kent County, and former Chair of the Disability Issues Caucus of the National Communication Association. I met Christopher last year when he and then-Kendall President David Rosen approached me to propose a Disability Arts festival. When I suggested that they expand the notion and create a Year of Arts and Ability they jumped at the idea. Current Kendall President Oliver Evans and Ferris State President David Eisler have embraced the initiative. Chris and Kendall are bringing a world-class art exhibit from England in April and they are working with the Community Relations Commission and the Diversity and Inclusion Office of the City to provide opportunities throughout the year for us to celebrate the incredible creativity of disabled persons. The City already has a foot in the world of art with last year’s ArtPrize-sponsored African American Art exhibition in City Hall funded by Mercantile Bank. Chris Smit will help us all go to the next level of engagement with Disability Arts Festival and the Year of Arts and Ability.Ladies and gentlemen please welcome to the stage Doug Bower on behalf of Rae, David Bulkowski, Sally Reeves on behalf of Joanne, and Christopher SmitRACIAL EQUITYThe eyes of the world have been on America for the past two months. This time it is not a look of envy, not a gaze of collective mutual admiration. No, this time it is a look of bewilderment, disgust, and anger. Has the globe’s leading exporter of democracy been hiding something? While the US talks about equity, fairness, and equal opportunity do we, in fact, practice the opposite? The killing of unarmed black men, the retribution deaths of police officers and the perceived failure of our justice system has caused the public to rise up and ask, “What’s going on in the center of the free world?”Ripples from these events were evident across the nation, no less so in Grand Rapids. Following the Ferguson Grand Jury verdict and again following the New York Grand Jury verdict, there was peaceful protest here. Racial justice organizations like the NAACP and the Grand Rapids Urban League, along with community development organizations like LINC sprang into action. The City Manager, Police Chief and I immediately convened leaders from across the community to discuss next steps. Extensive public comment was received at the December 2nd City Commission meeting and a formal public hearing was held at the December 16th Commission meeting. Let me say that the professionalism in our Grand Rapids Police Department is extraordinary. Thorough in our hiring, rigorous in our training, strong in our leadership, and dedicated to accountability, we have a police force to be proud of. We use community-policing techniques including deep communication with community organizations. Our crime rates have consistently fallen each year for the past decade. Indeed, murders in 2014 were the lowest ever recorded and other violent crime statistics are at similar low points. Our Civilian Appeals Board, which handles appeals from citizens who feel police have mistreated them, hears only a handful of complaints each year.Nonetheless, we can always improve our operations and our relations with the community. And so the City Manager promised to bring the City Commission a set of policy recommendations with regard to police and community interactions by our January 13th Commission meeting. That occurred last Tuesday. We had a robust discussion among the Commissioners leading to consideration scheduled for January 27th. The recommendations are responsive to the concerns we heard from the community and, if adopted by the City Commission, will implement twelve new policy initiatives including the use of body cameras on police officers, review of hiring practices, reorganization of the department to enable Chief Rahinsky and his Captains to spend more time in the community listening and building relationships. We will also contract for an independent review of racial disparities in arrests, review our municipal diversity and inclusion practices, and implement a new citizen privacy policy. Finally, we will request outside police agencies to conduct investigations in all cases where a Grand Rapids police officer discharges his or her weapon in the course of a pursuit or arrest. Citizens can be confident that these proactive policies will root out bias, intended or unintended.The City Commission and I are fully committed to the twin objectives of racial equality and continuous departmental improvement. I am confident that, as we move toward a vote on this important set of recommendations, we will keep these objectives in mind. Our great city is driven by a vision, a vision in which the contribution of every member of society, irrespective of race, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation is respected…and not just because the law says so; but, more importantly, because a diverse community is a healthier and more prosperous community. Let’s be sure that our policies and practices promote equity and ensure dignity and equal opportunity.RETAINING AND ATTRACTING TALENTYou may remember that last year I announced an initiative with Grand Valley State University whereby an undergraduate course would be offered that would explore the ways that Grand Rapids can be proactive in attracting and retaining young, newly-graduated college students. President Tom Haas and I asked the 12 students in the class to look at what we do well, what we do poorly and what we don’t do at all. We charged them with making recommendations to the City Commission for improving our talent attraction and retention model. Under the leadership of Professor Mark Hoffman from the School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration, the course exceeded my expectations! Here this morning to tell you a bit about the course is one of the students. Please welcome Hannah Fernando.[Hannah speaks]Thank you, Hannah. There were ten recommendations in the report, all of which have value and can be implemented over several years. However, there are three that I want to focus on immediately.First, the students suggested development of a Why GR (YGR) smartphone app created with the needs and interests of young professionals in mind. Quoting from the students’ report, “Because millennials increasingly rely on smart phones for information and navigation…(this application will serve as) a connection to many existing local guides, electronic forums…transportation options…restaurants, stores, attractions, festivals and performances…” This is a recommendation we can begin working on immediately. During the fall of 2015, a group of five students from the Information Systems Project Capstone class will be assigned to develop this app. The students will work under the guidance of Professor David Lange from the School of Computing and Information Sciences.A second recommendation is to form a Millenials Advisory Board. We have already reached out to several of the young professionals organizations along with colleges and the University, asking them to recommend members for this Board. Tom Almonte, Assistant to the City Manager, will staff the work of the Advisory Committee and we will establish a regular meeting schedule for the Board with the Mayor and City Commissioners.Finally, the class recommended a new initiative to connect college students with local employers through development of internships. Fortunately, the City has a very successful program already in place called LEAD and the Mayor’s 50 Businesses. In response to the students’ recommendation we are expanding the Mayor’s 50 program to the Mayor’s 100 and we are including additional options. Up to now Mayor’s 50 businesses have offered 6-month work experiences for youth ages 15-21 who have successfully completed our LEAD training program. I want to thank these awesome businesses. You have helped young people on career paths giving them direction and valuable experience. I am now calling on 50 more businesses – particularly those in technology, engineering, sciences, and environmental fields to offer summer paid internships so that young people can better understand the job market that exists, the careers they can aspire to, and the educational requirements needed. My Mayor’s 50 and LEAD program is one of the most successful public-private partnerships going. Let’s make it even stronger by doubling our efforts!Let’s strengthen career pathways and offer practical experience for young people—our millennials – so they can see the possibilities of a secure and exciting future in Grand Rapids. The City will assist in paying 50% of wages for these internships through grants. As we do this, Grand Rapids will be better positioned as a city that attracts and retains young professionals. If you’re hearing this today and want to become a Mayor’s 100 Business offering employment or internships see me or contact Our Community’s Children.ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVESI turn now to another important field, environmental protection.Scientific opinion is unambiguous. 97% of the world’s climate scientists – those with memberships in the most respected scientific associations – have concluded that Greenhouse Gas emissions that result in the warming of Earth’s temperatures have already placed our planet on a trajectory toward massive extinction of species including, eventually, our own. Rising ocean levels, destabilized and extreme weather conditions, droughts that threaten water supplies, extreme heat and rainfall in excess of amounts that a city can absorb with its built systems; catastrophic failure of power grids and populations forced to relocate to higher, safer regions; this is not just the stuff of science fiction. This is our present reality.My service on the White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience opened my eyes both to the extent of the problem we face and the wide variety of impacts on communities in the continental US, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. Serving with fellow Mayors, Governors and Tribal Leaders, our Task Force presented a powerful set of recommendations that President Obama could implement by the use of Executive Order thus helping protect cities, states and tribal lands from the consequences of climate change. I’m proud of the service we provided and delighted that the President has already acted on several of our recommendations. I’m also proud that Grand Rapids is leading the nation in implementing resiliency measures to protect our future against the impacts of climate change.Here’s what I know. As much as we have done in Grand Rapids to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as much as we have done to prepare ourselves for the impacts of changes already upon us, there remains MUCH to do and LITTLE time in which to do it. So I intend to use this year to step up our local efforts and to set a pathway for our successors to follow that will result in Grand Rapids remaining a leader, an example, and an encouragement to cities in this country and around the world.Let’s start with site-specific power production. The City has dozens of opportunities to install renewable energy solutions on municipal infrastructure: buildings, water tanks, stormwater and wastewater treatment facilities, drinking water facilities, fire stations. We must prioritize investments in solar, wind and bio. In next year’s capital budget Manager Greg Sundstrom will recommend funding for two such projects. Staff is already incorporating renewable energy and energy efficiency projects into our Five Year Capital Asset Management Plan. I will ask the City Commission to approve funding for those projects and to confirm our commitment by resolution urging future Commissions to make comparable commitments each year until all viable opportunities to produce decentralized power are completed.Further, I believe this will be the year in which we start the construction process on two major electrical power facilities that I have spoken to you about previously: the Butterworth Acres Solar Initiative for producing power for the Waste Water Treatment Facility and, potentially, a Bio-digester at the Waste Water Treatment Plant in partnership with the City of Wyoming. One project is currently in the post- RFP stage, the other will go out for proposals before the end of this month. Between these two projects the City will produce approximately 5Mw of power every year, enough to power 820 average-sized homes.Another project set to begin construction this year is the conversion of our street lamp system to LED-style fixtures. Funds have been set aside to complete this project and we anticipate savings on our municipal electric bill of $450,000 every year into the future. You know I’ve been talking about this project for a very long time. The combination of technology improvements and funding availability has finally made it viable.Municipal power projects alone will not achieve the critical goals we have. The private sector must join this effort and government and private sector together must find new and creative ways to work with our public utilities. We need to see distributed power generation systems springing up in neighborhoods all around the city. Four houses using their adjoining back yards to install a geothermal field that will serve all four. Businesses investing in rooftop rain capture and treatment equipment. Homes installing solar panels. Manufacturers erecting small wind turbines to supplement their power needs.There is a role for local government in this private sector power generation vision. It is to ensure that no unnecessary barriers exist in zoning ordinance or planning practices to make it difficult or impossible for a home or business owner to install distributed generation. We took affirmative steps in that direction when we adopted our Zoning Ordinance in 2007. This year we will revisit the Ordinance to address any remaining barriers. Also, this year I will lead our community in a climate challenge, an effort to reduce our overall GHG emissions in Grand Rapids by 20% below 2009 levels by 2030. This is not simply a municipal effort, nor does local government have a toolbox full of incentives. But, here’s what already we have going for us:Many businesses are taking this seriously. The West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum consists of over 100 members all of whom are committed to operating sustainably in their economic sector. This means, among other things, reducing GHG emissions. Let me give you three quick examples:Steelcase has worked hard to reduce its global GHG emissions by 60% since 2001. In early 2014 Steelcase announced it would purchase renewable energy credits equal to 100% of its global electric use.Spectrum Health prevented 5.9 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in a one-year period through lighting upgrades and energy conservation at its Butterworth and Blodgett campuses.Barfly Ventures which operates Hopcat and Grand Rapids Brewing Company is making major energy conservation investments for reducing GHG emissions and will divert 90% of its waste stream from the landfill.Another thing we have going for us is a popular understanding of the problem. In the early days of my service as Mayor it was not uncommon for me to be ridiculed by citizens – including leading citizens of the city – over my perspective on sustainable environment and the threat of climate change. Today most people understand that this threat is real and, though they may not be sure what they can do to help, they are sure that business and government ought to be doing all we can do to reduce carbon output. So I launch this initiative in the context of a supportive community.Additionally, what we have going for us a sense of urgency; a recognition that our planet is sick and it is we who have infected it. Therefore, it must be we who heal it.With these three givens – business commitment, popular understanding of the problem and sense of urgency – I am asking City staff and my City Commission colleagues to join me in a bold partnership with the private sector to push forward renewable energy and energy efficiency practices across all sectors of our community. This will be an effort joined by business, local government, institutions and homeowners. The city will lead the way by incorporating in our Sustainability Plan the work of resiliency outlined in the 32 recommendations of our Climate Resiliency Report, prepared in partnership with West Michigan Environmental Action Council and Grand Valley State University. Even now the municipal Office of Energy and Sustainability is partnering with the Institute for Energy Innovation, the West Michigan Chapter of the US Green Building Council, the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum and a broad range of private sector leaders to create the Grand Rapids 2030 Energy District Challenge, a high performance building efficiency district. As an immediate follow-up to today’s announcement the Institute for Energy Innovation and the City are convening building owners and managers in the Rockford Construction LEED Platinum offices to launch this initiative. A few innovative cities around the country have begun this process of linking business, institutions and government in a coordinated effort to reduce GHG emissions. Former State Representative Dan Scripps, a champion for renewable energy and energy conservation both while he was in the House and since leaving government, and Dan Schoonmaker of West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum are leading this effort as our partners from the private sector. Dan and Dan are with us this morning and I want you to join me in recognizing and encouraging them in this work.Finally, this year I will ask the Grand Rapids City Commission to place a moratorium on extracting natural gas within the city limits using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it is commonly known, to give us time to put good policy in place to address the health risks associated with fracking. I will also urge the Kent County Board of Commissioners to follow suit. Our neighbors in Cannon Township passed such a moratorium 18 months ago. I applaud their courage and foresight.I didn’t come lightly to this decision. I have read science on both sides of the issue. Scientists, geologists and engineers are not unanimous in condemning fracking. I also recognize that the burning of natural gas emits lower levels of GHG than does burning oil; some thus argue natural gas could become a so-called “transition fuel” as we trudge along toward a renewable energy future. Why am I recommending this action?First, as long as a respected body of scientists believes that hydraulic fracturing is a threat to ground water the practice must be halted. A threat to water…is a threat to life. Claiming proprietary technology, drillers refuse to disclose the chemical recipe that goes into the ground to flush out the gas and then remains in surface settlement ponds following its useful life, left to slowly seep into the ground. Evidence that links fracking with elevated cancer levels in several regions of the country – including New York, Ohio and Colorado – would lead one to the conclusion that there is risk to human and animal health and that it may be a risk not worth taking. Even more concerning to me is the “transitional fuel” argument. Banking on a “transition” from fossil fuels by using fossil fuels only exacerbates the problem we already have and it forestalls the investment in renewables needed to turn the rising tide – figuratively and literally! – of GHG emissions. In the closing days of 2014, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an Executive Order banning hydraulic fracturing in his state. I strongly urge Governor Snyder to do the same in Michigan until such time as the science catches up with the practice.The urgency that attaches to diminishing oil and gas reserves, together with the massive changes in climate already occurring, ought to inspire us to do everything we can to advance the technology of renewable electric power and hasten the installation of renewable energy generation facilities – large and small – all around the world. We will not be able to do so if we hold onto the false hope that fracking natural gas is the answer to our energy problems.These environmental initiatives, together with the social equity initiatives I spoke of earlier, will help ensure that Grand Rapids remains economically strong and a city to be emulated. CONCLUSIONAt the beginning of this address I spoke of clarifying moments. Ladies and gentlemen, this is one!Today I see clearly a bright and promising future for Grand Rapids. A future that we have built together as we reinvented our City over the last decade. In spite of the uncertainties that accompany climate change, the tensions that surround social change, the doubts that assail us and the fears that would hold us back…I see a bright future for Grand Rapids.I see it clearly in the work of neighborhood organizations advocating for the rights of neighbors.I see it clearly in the passion that business is developing for sustainable economic growth.I see it clearly in the innovation of our Public Schools developing our children to be the leaders of tomorrow. I see it clearly in the citizen initiatives to plant trees, to expand parkland, to restore the river rapids.Yes, I see clearly a bright and promising future for Grand Rapids. And I know you see it too. Although our visions may vary by degree our dedication to the vision is unwavering, fearless and bold.Ten, twenty, thirty years from now we will look back on this day and say, “A bright future lay before us and we claimed it as our own. We gave it our best. We overcame obstacles. We persisted when times were dark. We made it through to the light.” Friends, everything is possible for us:Economic growth that benefits everyoneEducational opportunity to lead the nationEnvironmental preservation and climate resiliencyEquality of opportunity and equity in service deliveryEverything is possible and the only barrier will be our imagination. If we can dream it we can do it!Our bright future starts here. It starts today. It starts with you. ................
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