JAMESTOWN – Mayor Sam Teresi delivered his 2018 State of the City to the Jamestown City Council on Monday night during the council’s January voting session.
Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi (left) delivers the 2018 State of the City message to the Jamestown City Council on Monday, Jan. 29.
While the mayor didn’t verbally communicate the list of accomplishments of 2017 or his goals for 2018 (they were provided in a packet to both council members and the media, as well as on the city website), he did take several minutes to share some remarks about the community, saying the state of the city is sound and getting stronger and better each day.
“Yes, my fellow colleagues and Jamestowners, even with the problems and challenges before us, the state of our city is sound. And if we choose to work in the interest of others and not ourselves, it will continue to get a little stronger and better with each passing day,” Teresi said.
Teresi also addressed the growing voice of discontent in the community.
“I’m sure that it will not shock many when I remind you that there exists a small, vocal and persistent group right here in our fair community that unfortunately carries and spreads the message that Jamestown is the little city that couldn’t,” Teresi said. “These are the people that imagine conspiracies lurking around every corner and tend to oppose any new idea coming down the pike. These folks believe that no matter what we think or say or do, things are always going to be too big, too expensive, and too hard for a place like this and people like us to achieve.”
Near the end of his remarks, the mayor shared details of a past conversation he had with White Plains Mayor Joe Delfino, when Mayor Delifino asked the mayor to describe what kind of a place Jamestown is. Teresi told the White Plains mayor that despite challenges Jamestown is still a “good and generous” place with hardworking residents and a giving community.
“Joe looked at me and emphatically stated, ‘You my friend my not be the mayor of a wealthy city, but you are fortunate and blessed to be the mayor of a truly rich community with a bright future.’ And speaking of that future, it is obviously filled with critical choices that will determine what type of place this will be for our children and grandchildren,” Teresi said, then asking, “Will we embrace my friend Joe Delfino’s ‘Forest for the Trees’ insight? Or will we choose to follow the depressing path of the doomsdayers and naysayers, who seem to be hellbent on infecting the rest of us with their own strand of misery?”
As for the goals of 2018, the mayor provided the council an outline of nearly 60 different initiatives the city will launch or either continue to work on throughout the year, including the sale of the wastewater treatment plant to fund capital infrastructure and equipment improvements, the proposed annexation of the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Dow Street substation, and several Downtown Revitalization Initiative projects.
The mayor’s message, along with his list of accomplishments and goals, can all be found at the city website, in the mayor’s office of city hall, or at the James Prendergast library.
- 2018 State of the City Remarks (PDF)
- 2017 Summary of Major Activities and Accomplishments (PDF)
- 2018 Goals, Objectives and Priorities (PDF)
- 2018 State of the City Attachments (PDF)
We’ll replay all of the mayor’s message during this week’s community matters program at 5pm Thursday. We’ll also focus on specific initiatives with the mayor during next week’s Community Matters program on Feb. 8.
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