From WXXI news.

This is connections.

I'm Evan Dawson.

Well, this hour we have the third and final conversation in our series with the candidates for Rochester Mayor.

We have previously sat down with Shashi Sinha, Council member Mary Lou Beom, and today we welcome the incumbent mayor, Malik Evans, who is running for reelection.

The Democratic primary is June 24th, and the primary in the city of Rochester tends to be decisive.

This campaign has covered a lot of issues, from jobs and development to the City of Rochester's response to the Trump administration to housing, human rights, public safety.

All three candidates will join us for a voice at the voter debate on May 28th, two weeks from tonight.

Here on connections, we sit down with them individually to explore the issues.

And Mayor Malik Evans, welcome back to the program.

Thank you for being here, Mr. Mayor.

Thanks for having me.

Evan.

Good to be with you.

and I forgot to ask you before the program.

Mr. mayor, is there a website you want to let people know they can visit?

Malik evans.org Malik evans.org r g. All right there you go Malik Evans.

That or for more information on the mayor.

When did you know that you wanted to run for reelection.

I would say I knew probably mid mid last year when I knew that, we had a lot of momentum.

you know, your colleague interviewed me and he asked me, you used the word momentum a lot.

I said, yes, that's important.

but I knew that there was work to to be, completed.

But then it crystallized on January 20th when I said, oh, yeah, it's good.

It's good that I'm that I'm doing this because, as you know, I've been, having some interesting, goings on with the federal administration.

And in fact, my budget, is a budget, but I have a backup budget.

In the event that we lose millions of dollars from, from the federal government.

I was just in Washington, D.C., last year, and I think, last week, as a matter of fact.

So now more than ever, I think that we need, an individual.

You know, I ran about building bridges, and, boy, does.

Is that reinforced when I look at what's happening now at the federal level in the way cities are being treated, how much funding could this administration try to cut from you?

Well, if Cdbg goes immediately, there's hundreds of positions and we're talking about ten to probably about $10.5 million, but that's not counting federal highway money.

That's not counting other grants that have come.

So it's really TBD.

Very hard to tell, but very concerning for us as the city of Rochester and everyone should be concerned.

Elections have consequences and people are starting to see the consequences there.

It's why very early on in this, in his administration, when they tried to divert NIH funding away from the university of Rochester and other research institutions and ERS, our number one employer, we didn't we immediately joined an amicus brief to say this cannot happen, because this will result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the city of Rochester, which would affect our tax revenue, which would affect, economics, economic development in the city, which will affect a lot of families in the city.

So we are we are really dealing with uncharted territory.

And unfortunately, Rochester, we're at ground zero.

Who would have thought an upstate city.

I said this, a couple of weeks ago when Homan was visiting and I was convening, a rock resilience roundtable, who would have thought that a city in upstate New York would be on the forefront of the New York Times?

being being talked about, I would not I would not have a vision, envision that, even six months ago.

But here we are, right?

I mean, you're talking about the executive director of Ice who made a show of coming to Rochester, as a guest, among others, of the Rochester Police Locust Club.

Tom Homan said he wants to support cities who are working with Ice to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

And there's a lot of public debate about whether you should meet with him.

Take us through your decision on whether and how you feel about that decision.

Well, if I met with him, I would have invited I would, I would, I'd invite him.

I'd invite him to the to my Rock resilience roundtable, which is a, which is a coalition of, individuals in the community that are interested about what's happening at the, at the, at the federal level.

But you didn't meet with them?

No.

Oh, I was he didn't he didn't he didn't meet with me, didn't meet with anybody.

You take any questions from the media?

He didn't he didn't do it right.

It was.

Did you watch?

He was in and out.

if he would have offered, I would have said, come over to, first Genesis, where I have a group of community citizens that want to ask you some questions and and hear about what it is that you are exactly trying to do.

Why is the 10th Amendment being violated?

Are we getting rid of habeas corpus?

These are all things that are important to a city of Frederick Douglass and Susan B Anthony.

We would like to hear from him on that.

But obviously he was here for a quick period of time and he was in and out.

But, but but you know, I have, I am just so concerned about put it, put him to the side.

But the Medicaid cuts, head start cuts could cuts the community development block grants.

All these things are major issues that will affect our city, and we have to make sure that we prepare for them.

But more importantly, we have to push back on it.

I was just in D.C. last week with a group of bipartisan mayors, Democrats and Republicans talking to Democrats and Republicans on the Hill, saying, this is what will happen to cities if you do this.

This is the progress that will be that that will be stalled.

Harper, housing for people with Aids that will go away.

how are you going to fill that gap?

Ruth, prepare programs for seniors.

That's going to go.

That will go away.

You cut Medicaid.

that will have an effect on not only the states budget will blow a hole through it, but it would decimate Monroe County in the city of Rochester, in individuals that are, involved and involved in those things.

You want safety, you want you want to have those types of things.

You pulled a safety net up from from someone.

And that will have a very negative effect, not just on cities.

Obviously, the vast majority of Americans live in cities, but what's really, really also going to be affected are areas that are in rural communities where they don't have the tax base that we have, where you could maybe, increase taxes or have a different levy.

And that's the story that we're trying to tell.

This is not, working with people in the things that they're doing are not going to bring down prices, are not going to get people employed and are not going to set people up to have a prosperous future.

And that is what we have to keep continue saying and fighting against.

Well, the federal government moved to strip Rochester, but sanctuary city status, and I want to read some of their filing.

In the filing from the feds, they said the following quote.

On March 24th, 2025, local police officers in Rochester, New York, responded to a call for assistance from federal law enforcement officers.

To most Americans that would look like law enforcement at its finest, but not to those leading the city of Rochester.

Local political leaders and officials, including Mayor Malik Evans and City Council President Miguel Melendez, criticized the Rochester police officers for doing the right thing because responding to a call for backup and assisting federal law enforcement officers at the scene violated the City of Rochester's sanctuary city policy.

This is a lawsuit to put an end to those policies.

End quote.

What do you make of how they characterized the incident from March 24th?

Well, first off, I would say that they need to watch the body cam, the body worn camera footage.

And as I said, we will answer that, in court, we we we know that we are on solid ground and I can't go into all the details because I don't want to give our, our litigation strategy away.

As you know, we do.

We usually don't comment on litigation.

But what I will say is that, they know that this thing, our policy has been around since 1986.

I was six years old and almost 40 years ago.

We are we we've been here before.

It survived the last Trump administration.

What they're talking about has nothing to do with the issues at hand.

The issue at hand has is about, number one, the 10th amendment, which which if you don't know your Constitution, look it up.

I carry one with me all the time.

I have one in the car.

And that that means that what is not done with the federal government is left to the states.

And also, we are not under any obligation to do the federal government's job.

And that is all we are saying.

We are not saying that we're interfering.

We're not saying that we it is not our job to do the work of the federal government.

And they cannot come in and commandeer my people.

Our people, your people are residents of Rochester and force them to do whatever it is they want to do.

And you can't only talk about the rule of law when it suits you.

So, I mean, obviously this will be litigated in court, but, we just want to be left alone.

and we want to be able to thrive as a city and not be bullied.

And that's that's what this is.

This is, but, I mean, you know, the suit was delivered to me personally.

you know, it's just it's just totally unnecessary.

And I think that a lot of it is we have to separate political theater from fact and what really concerns me is, is that when you when you have national leaders, behaving in a certain way, local people start taking on that behavior.

And that's what I'm concerned about, you know?

So so when you have bullies, other people start being bullies.

When you start having misinformation, other people start taking on misinformation.

And we can't have that in our society, in our country.

Otherwise, God help us five, ten years from now when our kids when the next generation of young people grow up, they're going to say, oh yeah, it's okay to do that.

And we can't we can't have that as a, as a city.

And in that, in the issue at hand has has everything to do with federal constitution, the federal constitution, protections that cities and states get and the rule of law and that and that's, and that's, that's our argument.

That's our point.

Without going into a lot of detail on how we're going to litigate this thing.

No, I understand that, I in general, though, do you think police behaved appropriately on March 24th in that incident?

I think if you look at our statement, you saw you saw what we said.

the chief was clear.

I was clear and, and yeah, that's that, that's that that, you know, you saw what we said there.

And I think that, we we stand by what we said and, more training.

Right?

We did that.

We moved on, but then this was turned into a political hot potato.

And you know how I feel even about that.

And that's exactly what this was.

You got it got turned into a political scene, because if we really wanted to have conversation and dialog about what was happening at the federal government, they would come here and have those conversations with the broader community and talk about, are we getting rid of the right of habeas corpus, which is absolutely concerning.

Anyone should be a should be afraid of that really due process.

We're getting rid of due process in this country.

I mean, that's a proposal.

God help us.

You can arrest elected officials.

You're threatened to arrest mayors of cities.

I mean, my other mayors joke with me, but I mean, it's a joke, but it's really actually concerning.

The rule of law is, is is under attack.

And then the other thing is, is that to try to use dollars that are not the federal government's dollars as tools of coercion is absolutely wrong.

There are only two years, probably in the last ten years, in which New York state sent more money, got more money from the federal government than it sent.

And, you know, when those years were you probably can guess during Covid, right?

We had the American Rescue Plan Act 2021.

That's right.

We got the CARES act.

Other than that, we send more dollars to Washington, DC when we get back and you're going to tell us that you're going to withhold our money, that our resident sin?

I don't think so.

And I think that that's, that's really at the heart of the matter.

And this is not a put this is this should not be a political issue.

This should be bipartisan outrage about anyone talking about getting rid of the writ of habeas corpus or, or or suspending due process.

We can we can't, we can't we can't have that.

And this and this is what, we have said.

And also forcing cities to do things that they're not required to do according to the US Constitution, which, by the way, I take an oath to uphold and so does every other elected official.

What happens if this federal suit, if they win?

I mean, I take your point that this feels like political theater, but if they are trying to strip you of sanctuary city status and they win, what does that mean for you?

I think we'll I think we'll cross that bridge.

We get it.

I don't know what that would mean for us.

Do you think you're going to win?

I don't I don't telegraph.

We're, I don't I don't, I don't, I don't like making predictions.

But I will tell you that I believe that we are on solid ground.

now, Councilmember lupine, who is running for mayor, has said she has tried to introduce an ordinance to strengthen Rochester's status as a sanctuary city and, quote, give it real teeth.

But she says the city law department sidelined her proposal.

For a while.

She felt like there wasn't any reception for it.

Is that an accurate characterization?

No, it's not an accurate Chris characterization.

First off, this, city council is a separate branch of government.

They can introduce anything they want, and they have in the past.

I know I was on I was on city council when PAB got introduced and it was at odds with the law department said we introduced it anyway.

And if you remember PAB ended up getting passed.

So no, I am.

I'm not even familiar with that proposal.

I'm not even familiar with it.

I know nothing about it.

I haven't seen it.

I don't I don't know anything about it.

So I would refer that question actually to city Council.

There are a separate branch of government.

Now.

Another thing that we saw this week, was that the number of member of council, Stanley Martin, wanted to hold a no your rights forum.

but some members of council have said that Mayor Evans wouldn't allow the use of the Edgerton Rec center for a no your rights forum.

Is that accurate?

Yeah.

I don't I don't know all the details of that.

All I know is that you have to get a permit, to be able to, to use any of our facilities.

You can't advertise something before you get a permit.

And then the other thing is, is that you is that you have to go through the process.

But we also have a, a policy that we don't do politics in any city building.

So, you know, I announce my, my reelection, announcement, I think it was in January.

And guess what?

I did it.

I did it at Union Hall.

I didn't do it in a city facility.

So I know that there was some questions there, and I don't know much about the form, I just don't.

I got so much going on running the city, and there was some question there about whether or not this was a political event or was it a an event that was held by the majority of city council, five members of city council that was holding it?

So I don't know all the details there, but I would refer you to the law department to to answer you.

I think they just didn't follow the process.

I don't, I haven't I'm being completely honest.

You didn't intervene.

No I don't yeah I just don't.

If you think that I have time to worry about permits in city buildings, that people are trying to get there.

There's so many other bigger issues that I'm dealing with right now.

I mean, we I lost Victor Sanders this week.

who was, You want to say a word about Victor?

I do, who's a very valued member of my team.

I lost my other hope.

this past week.

I lost a good friend, Richard, to Giacomo this week.

So three deaths in one week.

We're dealing with a federal lawsuit that's coming.

I just close a $96 million budget gap.

If you really think I had time to deal with that, I just I just did not.

What was the impact of a guy like Victor Saunders?

Well, I mean, I think you've had him on this program.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

unbelievable.

I mean, Victor Sanders, first off, when people get sick and sometimes they run out of sick days, people can donate like sick days.

The people Victor broke.

I mean, I've never met a person who everyone said that was a good guy.

I mean, I got from the district attorney to folks in the Justice Department that had worked with him, two kids, that he got jobs when he was a worker at school, number eight all had good things to say about him, and I was with him in his last moments.

I witnessed him leaving this earth and he was just a force of nature.

Anything we came up with together, he was you could he could come up with it.

You know, I'd say something crazy, like, hey, we're gonna lost his Office of Violence Prevention.

And by the way, I. I'm going to do this thing called the Peace Collective.

I came up with the name and he goes, oh, yeah, a peace collective.

Okay, okay.

What do you want to do?

I said, I don't know.

I want you to figure it out.

I said, I want you to get I said, we need to have other community organizations involved, because they always say that they want their voices to be heard and they're closest on the ground, but but they're not used to doing a lot of the administrative stuff.

So can we get them connected with the fiduciary to help them do that?

And then we need to have a session where we're going to guide them.

He got right to work.

And and he was he was able to do that as a victor.

You know, the problem is with these car thefts that we were having in 2023, a lot of kids were between the 12 and 14.

I said, Victor, they can't work.

He's like, okay, let let's let's see how we can come up with a job.

That said, Victor, let's come up with a jobs program for 12 to 14 year olds.

And we can't they can't work, but they can get a stipend.

So we so he was innovative.

He was creative, but just always, always positive.

I mean, I have one on ones with my staff, usually their Friday afternoons.

And you know, I just look for Victor at that.

He comes in at 12.

You know, Evan, you know me a long time.

I can be cranky sometimes.

Victor would come in and say he'd ask, you know, the executive staff.

Has the mayor eaten yet?

Because if he's if he's eating, that means I can get what?

And he would always want to make sure I had had lunch because he knew he could then pitch me on something that we were that we were going to be able to do, but just very, very, very, very respected from, he's a great article.

There's some great articles and tributes that have been out there but very, very respected from the local level and all the way to the national level.

People listen to him.

I mean, so it's difficult even he's a young man, he still was a young man.

He still had so much more work to do.

And, you know, and I'll miss him, but, his legacy will live on.

And, you know, it's why we have the Office of Violence Prevention.

And he's in he's helped recruit some great men and women that are now working in that area.

and I'm and I'm happy about that.

Well, I want to endorse what the mayor says about Victor.

I never met anybody who didn't have glowing things to say about him.

That's tough loss for the city.

So on the subject of public safety, you know, speaking of lawsuits, you got to deal with here.

the PAB loses in court, but the state supreme big, big stands to lose their investigatory powers.

And the city of Rochester is appealing.

Now, do you think the city appeal will win?

I don't know, but I think regardless of the fact, one of the things I mean, the chief has said, the chief has said this as well, is you have to have some type of independent entity.

We've always had it.

If you remember, we had the the CRB Civilian Review of Civilian Review Board.

So you have to have something that's there.

The chief actually relies on that.

I mean, he will regularly just this past week he set two policies over, I think one on drones and one on something else that he wanted the PAB to look at and give their thoughts on.

So I think I think that I don't know, I don't know, I mean, that was a pretty, substantive suit.

And, you know, again, I can't comment on litigation, but I think I think it's to be determined by I think the bottom line is, is that regardless of what happens with the suit, is, is that there will be some form of the PAB, the question will be what powers it?

Yeah.

And then realistically, with a $3.6 million budget and a significant number of investigators who are supposed to work individual cases, if they can't do that, I understand saying we got to wait to see what happens with the appeal.

If you don't win the appeal, is it time to say we can't fund it at 3.6?

I think that would be a conversation with City council.

Obviously, council presents their budget because they report directly to council.

I think that would be a conversation that, we'd have to have with, city Council.

Do you think the PAB was more productive in, in.

I don't think anybody disagrees.

It got off to a rough start.

as an organization.

But do you think that they had found their footing?

Yeah, a marked improvement.

I mean, I, you know, they they marked improvement.

New executive director, new board.

I mean, yeah.

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely found their footing.

I mean, you know, the chief, chief was meeting with them once a week.

we have a captain that's assigned to them.

that was meeting with them regularly.

I think.

I think that they were finding their footing to see, what they could do to be productive.

And I think that was happening, and I think it still could happen.

It'd just be different.

And it'd just be what, what what their role would be.

But no, no, Mark.

They're much different.

Much different organization.

I know they definitely got off on a tough as an a tough start, but they definitely found their footing.

And I think I think they really, started working.

You know, I was I helped recruit Sherry Walker to come in to kind of get it back.

and, and they got some good board members.

And I think that that, that that helped.

Yeah.

And so, you know, as you have probably heard, there's a very different in tone from the chief of police who you just mentioned to the police union and the Locust Club.

The Locust Club has said the PAB is anti-cop.

The Locust Club has said that Tom Homan was right to come here and that city leadership has been anti-cop.

What do you make of the Locust Club's climate?

Do you have what's your relationship like with the local?

Well, I've always had a decent relationship with Locust Club, but I would say, the men and women of the Rochester Police Department got the first on time contract for the first time in like 15 years under my administration.

So there's the answer to that right there.

Not Anti-Cop one, about 100, but 100 positions still unfilled roughly.

Is that right?

Yeah.

And that's across the country, you know, I mean, you're right, it is very hard for it to to recruit officers.

But we just had our workforce development graduation.

12 new folks came in, a couple a couple of days ago.

And I think that we've been very innovative in Rochester in terms of our career pathways.

The public safety programs, our workforce development programs to try to get, new, new men and women, to come join this, to come join the police departments.

But it is a challenge across the country.

Why do you think that is right now?

Well, I think, work life balance.

I think people after Covid have really have really seen the light.

I mean, I've talked to people who left their job.

I mean, personally, I've talked to people who've had big corporate jobs.

And, I mean, we just we were just talking about Victor Sanders.

I think people are seeing that life is short, life is fleeting, and they they're saying, you know what?

I'm going to direct my life to be able to do things that may or may not be as stressful, may not be as as difficult to do.

I want to spend time with my family more, and I want more flexibility in my jobs.

And these are very, very difficult jobs.

We find the same challenge in 911, not so much in fire, but 911 we were down, last lot of nine one up.

Operators.

I mean, I'm the type of guy that goes to McDonald's and say, hey, I like your I like I like the cut of your jib, apply for a 9 to 1 job and I've done it and they've applied and and we have a pathway summer, summer career pathways to public safety to be able to recruit for that.

So public safety jobs in general have been very difficult to feel across the country.

And you really have to find innovative ways to do it.

And we survey these people and guess what?

It's not the money.

It's not the money.

We're one of the most competitively played police departments per capita, probably in the country, in the region.

So it's not even it's not even a money issue.

We just have to find innovative ways to let people know, why the career is something that they should invest in.

Bottom line, you're committed to trying to continue to fill those positions.

Oh yeah, absolutely.

We are, we are.

Do you think there is anything to some of the national unions for police who have said that the criticism in the last five years of police have pushed people away from wanting to pursue that as a career?

It could be some of it, I think.

I think, I think it's a combination of things that could be some of it, but I think it really is not just that.

I think it's just public safety fields in general.

Because look at 911, no one going around criticizing nine one operators.

And we had a similar vacancy level.

There were now almost up to four staff have to be go through that.

But it's training.

I mean, think about the things that you see when you're in those jobs.

you know, I mean, we've I mean, we've had people who've been nine one operators and the answer the phone, and you're dealing with a family member or friend or colleague and, you know, that's that's a lot.

And that's a toll to take in any of these public safety jobs.

And I think that that has a lot to do with it.

Our our thinking has changed after Covid.

I mean, I remind people, I came in when I became mayor, when I came in, I think the millionth person had died in the United States of Covid.

And we just we just act like it didn't happen.

I like, like a million people die, folks.

I mean, one of my God brothers, best friends, God brother, I, my he's born nine years older than me.

I looked up to him.

He died in 2021.

Right.

And other people die.

And we just kind of just forgot about it.

And I think people really reanalyze life after Covid.

I talk to people all the time and I say, what did you decide to do?

Oh, after Covid.

So and we just for some reason think that it's just disappeared.

so I think that that is a major factor in it as well.

And I think some of the other, work life balance, some of the, some of the conversations maybe that we're having, but I think it's, I think it's a combination of things.

But I tell people, stop discounting Covid.

A million people can't just die.

And then we say, oh, we're back to normal.

And it was already tough before then.

It only exacerbated it and highlighted stuff that we already knew was going on.

But then it turbocharged in and made it worse.

Well, you mentioned a couple of years ago we saw a surge in car thefts and, a lot of kids, a lot of Hyundais.

I think a significant number last year.

I don't know where the numbers are this year.

I don't know where that's trending.

Yeah, I think we're still trending down and we want to continue to turn down.

But you know, 23 was off the charts.

Yeah.

It was wild.

Was wild.

and so, I bring that up because I know you just referenced it and one of your opponents is opponent in this race, council member Mary Lou, and said on this program last week that she believes the Jed's program is inflating their success rate, kind of cooking the books and covering up the recidivism rate that it's the recidivism rate is much higher.

Well, well, I'm not aware.

I mean, I would refer you to the county on that, but I think that's something that you can follow.

I know it's a county program.

Yeah, but I but I don't think the county.

But you think the judge program's been a good choice.

He's been extremely effective.

And and I would say sometimes it's important to step back and talk to the people that went to the program.

And I've done that.

I've spoken to the people that have gone through the program.

But I think the numbers are the numbers.

I mean, either either inflating them or not, and either the they are or they aren't.

And I think, I think it would be very instructive, I think, for this program to bring back on the county again and ask them about those numbers.

But the numbers that I get from the county, I have no reason to not believe them.

Okay.

And then in general, when you look at public safety, you look at, violent crime.

Obviously we saw a pandemic peak or 2021 especially, and it's been trending downward, absolutely violent.

Have been here this past year, 53% reduction in, if you remember, national story in 2020, 23 about Rochester's, reduction.

We're not where we want to be, but we're great.

Thank God we're not where we are.

People need to be.

Remember.

Remember that in 2021, we had over 80 homicides, the highest ever recorded, that we had in the city of Rochester, a lot of it related to pandemic.

Other cities had the same thing, and we had to get to work.

I mean, this has not been easy trying to keep these numbers down.

And, the number of people still walking around with firearms is absolutely crazy.

And it's why our numbers of firearms have quadrupled that we've taken off the streets, and that's because of our gun involved violence elimination program, which I would note, one of one of my opponents has voted against God knows how many times, but she'll say, oh, I'm supportive of it.

I think that's a that's an important thing to note, in this program, because it is important to be a part of the solution.

I think that what we have is a lot of people that can point out the problems, but they're not bringing any solutions to the table.

And, that's what we that's what we try to do.

Be the gun involved.

Violence elimination program, the Office of Violence Prevention, the expansion of, job training programs, the focus on particularly guns, the Jed's program in partnership with the county, the flotilla fatality review Committee, our own opioid reduction program.

And then also when we talk about public safety, I always want to add this as well.

It's just not about violence.

It's also about pedestrian safety.

And our Vision Zero program is part of that program, our Nurse Navigator program, which we started in 2022 to get an improve, response times for people who have medical events.

That's also part of our public safety suite of tools.

So we have a lot of different, tools that we have used that we have expanded our person in crisis team.

When I came in, the Person in Crisis team had three full timers.

We now scaled that up because it was originally supposed to be a pilot and that is now a full blown program.

that has been, extremely successful in terms of intervening in people that have mental health issues, which I put at number one or number two in terms of top issues in our country, the mental health crisis that we have.

Okay.

And when when I looked at the police portal data, it could be out of date, but I think there have been eight homicides so far this year.

Yes, I think I think 7 or 8.

Okay.

And 100% involve firearms this year.

This year.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

That's a lot more firearms this year as opposed to last year.

We had more homicides, more homicides around this time.

And so but they were more, they were more, they used other means.

Yeah.

Right.

And so a seven or 7 or 8 out of eight so far involving firearms, when people are doing that, when people are, are engaging in this kind of violence and you're talking about jobs training and you're seeing the big picture.

Yeah.

But you're talking about giving people a future, a hope opportunity.

What does the future of opportunity and jobs look like in this city?

I don't expect it across the street.

We're going to have another Kodak or another one like it's it's but what does it look like?

It's you know, we used to be a company town, right?

We had Kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb, Rochester products.

I'm aging myself because I'm saying Rochester products, big three.

Yeah, we had those.

We had those now.

But now we are now a town of companies.

So what you see more is we were a company town, but now we're a town of companies.

And what that means is, is that you are seeing small and medium sized businesses who drive the government to drive the innovation that we have in our community and drive the hiring.

So you're seeing more of these companies that some of you may not and may not have heard of, but they are.

They are now the ones that are hiring folks and that's what's going to lift our economy.

And that's and that's just the way it's going to be.

I think, yeah.

You want to have some big ones that are going to come.

But where our focus is, is how can we bring the company that's going to be the next big one, right.

And that's that.

That's that's what we see.

How do you get like a JCS that I just cut the ribbon, the ribbon on down it down in the Sibley Building that actually has manufacturing that's going there.

How do you how do you get them to grow.

How do you take advantage of some of the up and coming things in full tonics, which is still a big thing in Rochester?

I just cut the ribbon on a photonics, place.

that's an international company that that's on Saint Paul Street, but they're they're opening their, their northeast hub.

They opened it here in Rochester.

Right.

And they'll continue to grow and have and have those folks that are going to be there.

We'll have large employers like the University of Rochester, which is one of our largest employers.

RDA health care is still a major, major part of that.

But I think you have to look at where the innovation is, is going to be in photonics, is going to be an information, it's going to be in data, it's going to be a knowledge, and it's going to be empower and and knowledge and power and energy.

And that is where we're a lot of I think a lot of the jobs are going.

And that's why our, our workforce development and unit in the city have grown that because we want to make sure that people are able to be ready for those jobs that are coming in.

If they're coming in manufacturing, we want them to be able to do that.

I use Hickey Freeman as an example.

Hickey Freeman left.

We recruited Tom James company.

It's a smaller size footprint, but they're still on North Clinton Avenue, not using a whole factory.

The upper factories housing the bottom factory is is manufacturing.

I think that that's the way, you're going to have to think, as you go into the 21st century.

Ken Glaser was on this program yesterday, CEO of Buckingham Properties, and he was talking about his desire to see more businesses be willing to move or move back to downtown.

He said that, you know, especially post-pandemic, it's tough.

But he said there has to be, an intentional effort to bring the business community to encourage them to take that step.

When companies are on the fence about whether they want to come back to Rochester or come to Rochester, pardon me.

And and what are what are they telling you is not there or is keeping them away?

Well, it's never what's keeping them away.

It's just the competition.

I mean, the competition is fierce and I know because I'm, you know, I'm tight with tons of mayors.

I'm fighting with all my other mayors and other county executives to say, hey, we want to be able to get you there.

But I tell you what, says how they chose it, right?

How they how they decide it to be able to come here.

and, you know, you look at the constellations, for example, they look at, the investments that we make, but they look at the knowledge base that we have here.

Right?

Rochester hands down, per capita.

Still the number one city per capita with patents.

almost anyone you talk to that has a PhD in optics.

If you're in Timbuktu or you're in Peoria, Illinois, if you ask them where they got their degree from, you know, they're going to say University of Rochester.

So we are a place that has the knowledge economy.

we have that.

We have the schools and universities in that really attracts, a lot of people.

The other thing that we have water.

You look at Genesee Brewery when they expand it, one of the things they they referenced was our water resources.

We are one of the few, few places that still has a water, a lake, a canal in a in a river, all within a city.

And that is, that's a that's a that's a big deal.

And, you saw that if, and your colleague, Brian Sharp was interviewing me, he I don't think he got to go down in the bowels with us, of the High Falls State Park.

I mean, look at that water.

I mean, just as natural water was water.

Water everywhere in the city.

And at a time where people are going to war over water.

Thank God we don't have that problem here in Rochester.

And that is a major, major asset.

And it's something that I saw folks all the time.

And they always say, wow, I didn't realize you had you had all that.

So when I tell people what our natural resources, when I tell people about our talent, and when I tell people about our proximity to just about every major city in the country, because where we where we're situated by plane or by car, you can get the most places in a decent amount of time.

They'll say, Mr. Mayor, I'll give you a chance.

Talking to Malik Evans.

He's running for reelection.

He's one of three Democrats on the ballot in the Democratic primary.

June 24th.

Early voting is due 14th June 14th, 14th through the 22nd for early voting and the Democratic primary is June 24th.

Malik evans.org is the website to learn more about the candidate.

Let's take our only break the hour and we'll come back.

We're going to talk about housing and talk about his efforts, the mayor's efforts regarding opioids, and a number of other issues with your questions mixed in as well with the mayor.

Coming up in our second hour, can you regulate AI to guarantee that it will be safe?

Can you protect whistleblowers who are trying to call attention to AI firms that are skirting around the edges of transparency or safety standards?

There's two new bills in New York State aimed at regulating AI, but so far AI has proved very difficult to regulate.

We'll talk about how they're going to try to do it next.

Our.

Support for your public radio station comes from our members and from the Highlands at Pittsford, an independent and assisted living community affiliated with the University of Rochester, offering cottage and apartment homes, daily life enrichment activities and care assistance as needed.

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This is connections.

I'm Evan Dawson.

Let me take a phone call from listener William in Rochester for Mayor Evans.

Go ahead.

William.

Yeah, I want to know why do you oppose a public utility to replace RG?

Any it would save money for Rochester Alliance and be more responsive and responsible than a huge corporation based on state.

All right, William, thank you guys.

Thanks, William.

I didn't say I'm not sure.

Were you saying I oppose a public utility?

All I said was, is that, city council passed dollars for a study in order to do a study.

It should not just include Rochester.

It has included the entire region.

And I've said this multiple times.

Rochester has the smallest budget.

The Rochester City School District just passed.

The budget was $1.1 billion.

My budget is $27 million less than it was last year because we lost Arpa funding.

Monroe County has a $1.2 billion budget.

My point along this was that any study or any conversation about this has to be done region wide.

It just can't be burned.

And you just can't be borne by the one of the poorest cities in upstate, in New York State or in in the country.

we should shouldn't have to pay for something like that by ourselves.

That's been my point.

I've been consistent on that.

I've said that before.

Five top four zip codes in New York State.

Top three are in the city of Rochester.

All we're saying is that if you're going to spend $1 million on a study and that that involves something that is a regional wide thing, it just can't be borne by the city of Rochester, okay, in the future.

But you're still open to the notion of a public utility.

Yeah.

I think you'd have to have you'd have to have a broad conversation about that.

I mean, it's, it's a massive, massive undertaking and something like that would happen long after any of us are here.

But the bottom line is you have to have a study first for that.

And I think we've seen enough to say in a study, a study would cost money.

Well, I mean, the proposal is that what folks want is they want a study and and the and the argument has been, oh, the city should just pay for pay for the study, even though the agreement was in any text, in any type of study like that would have to be paid.

Regionwide.

I think William thinks you're being obstructionist that.

Well, yeah.

No, I'm dodging because you don't want it.

No, no, I mean and again, city council could pass it tomorrow if they wanted to.

Right.

I mean, so again, I mean people forget that there's I wish I had as much power as people always think to think that they give me, it's amazing you're not.

I just amazed you get these call.

You know, there's a balance of power, right?

Yeah, exactly.

There's still a balance of power.

You still have the judicial, legislative and executive branch.

Okay.

Sam wrote in to say Evan, saying that the PAB had a rough start as a major euphemism, and the millions of dollars spent in no way justifies the lack of impact and, ironically, their lack of accountability.

So Sam's a big critic.

And, Sam, you're you're right.

I was probably you for amazing.

It was.

It was not the start of the probably the first couple of years of the PAB that anybody envisioned or wanted.

They have been saddled from the start with a lack of disciplinary power, which they had hoped for.

And now without investigatory power, nobody, nobody that I've talked to disagrees that this could really warp what the PAB can do.

so I wasn't trying to euphemism do any PR, I was being a little cheeky.

No, no.

Yeah.

No I no, and let me defend you here, Evan.

You know.

Sure.

So I think, I think the point that you were making and I think it's the point that everyone was making, is that there's been improvement in terms of the leadership and operation at the PAB from where it was two, 2 or 3 years ago.

And I think that and I'm an objective advisor.

I mean, I'm, I'm actually kind of divorced from the PAB because as the administration, I can't be involved in any other stuff.

I only get one appointee.

But as someone who's really an observer, I can say that there's been improvement in terms of leadership at the board and as well as, the executive director over the last year and a half, two years.

and Chad wants to know, well, he says there's an, when it comes to affordable housing, an inadequate supply.

So I want to talk to you about housing and housing supply.

And interestingly, both of the other candidates for mayor on this program were very critical of by the Block.

Shashi Sinha told us that that is the chief example that he would point to of government waste and inefficiency.

he says spending more than $500,000 per house in the black program is a waste of money and not a good way to deal with the housing supply.

Yeah, but, you know, that's that's just by the black is one tool in the toolbox.

And it's obviously it's coming because number one he's misinformed and he should know, he must not be a numbers guy if you build a house in Pittsburgh or if you build it in Rochester on Sammy Way, like we doing, the cost is going to be the same.

And what we were able to do with bought by the black is we were able to subsidize it to get people who have probably never lived in a Red line neighborhood.

Right.

I doubt it.

He doesn't even know what a red line neighborhood is, to make sure that people who were shut out of the housing market like to you in others names who I've actually visited get a chance at homeownership.

And we had outside dollars, not city dollars, outside dollars that we were able to use to bring the price down to the half people to be able to afford their housing.

And by the way, you know, namely, another city in New York State that is working with, not nonprofit organizations in the, in the in the private sector to build brand new single family homes in their cities.

Let me think of any, there isn't any.

Only Rochester was doing that.

But by the black is just one piece of the overall puzzle.

in the last three years, five months and 14 days, Rochester Rochester has built between and then the minus two single family homes in terms of, market rate and affordable housing units close to 4000.

There's a city that is double our size.

They have a goal to build 5000 units in ten years.

So, I mean, I mean, I'm not, I'm not, the Energizer bunny, but I think we've done pretty well.

And also, you know, who's recognizing our work?

New York state home for community renewal.

Other people around the country are coming to Rochester to see what we're doing in terms of accelerating, our homeownership in our in our affordable housing stock.

If you remember, again, I came into when Covid building had completely stopped and I worked very closely with our state delegation in New York, in New York State, to accelerate the number of units that, that we are building and the number that we have online.

You can go back and watch clips from this, from my state of the city where I outlined these are coming up, but I will never, ever apologize for making sure that we were making investments in neighborhoods that were redlined where they were shut out, left behind, and left for dead.

We absolutely we absolutely will not apologize for pushing that equity.

And that is what by the black is all about.

And by the way, by the black also complimented the private investment that other private developers were building there.

So it then creates a multiplier effect.

So I think that that's something that that has to happen.

And you have to get deep, because what you find is, is that you hear from a lot of other people, a lot of rhetoric, but not a lot of results.

I'm a results driven person.

So I would say people should go and actually talk to the people who were involved with by the black, the Greater Rochester Housing Partnership, habitat for humanity, the other organizations that were involved to see, what the cost was and how we were able to actually make it a very successful program.

Well, if you look at the Zillow Heat index, which is, you know, measures is in a better market for sellers or buyers, Rochester is number one in the country, this market right now by a mile for sellers.

Not if you want to buy right.

Terrible market if you want to buy one.

Right.

Because there's no inventory.

No inventory I did a I did a radio program.

I won't say which one because it wasn't this one.

And I had, some realtors on this was last year, last March.

And I said, how many houses are on the market in Monmouth County?

You know, I mean, it was 20.

Yeah.

20.

Now there's more now because there's like 300.

But ten years ago there were 3000.

Oh, absolutely.

So so, so, so, so there's still not inventory.

Not inventory.

And that's why you have to build, build, build.

So for anyone to try to, disparage one, one piece of the puzzle is really concerning to me.

And when you despair, it's a piece of the puzzle for individuals that are, that are, that are getting new homes built in areas where they were where they were redlined.

you know, I think they're just saying that's two dozen, three dozen homes.

We need hundreds of thousands.

And and I think you have to do both.

And I think and what we're doing is we're also working we're having announcements on this with other, outside developers that can take it to the next level, and they can build more at scale at mass.

But you have to do everything.

You can't just just say and remember those close to 60 plus homes that we built.

Those are thousands of people.

Still got a family for a family of five for him.

Right?

So so there are people that are being impacted in a very meaningful way in terms of being those single homes.

And by the way, they're 60, 65, 70 more homes, 100 homes than we had four years ago.

Do you think in a second term we will see a ramping up of of total housing supply?

Well, I hope so.

But a lot of it depends on the macroeconomic environment and what we have going on.

You ever watch Ferris Bueller?

Yeah, of course.

And do you remember the scene where they say where he says Smoot-Hawley.

Anybody anywhere?

Yeah.

Anybody.

Well, I mean, that has a major effect on prices and things that are going up.

And if anyone thinks that that does not affect them, it will.

So we get a lot of our timber or lumber are still from Canada.

we have not, had a trade deal, new trade deal with them yet that affects everything that that, that, that builds.

I mean, there's developers and builders that I've talked to that have pushed off some of their, their plans because the prices have gone up and there's a lot of uncertainty.

So I think a lot of it will depend on what's happening in the, macroeconomic environment.

And that will that will give us a lot of, a lot of, clues on which building will go.

But in terms of our building, we have in the pipeline hundreds of thousands more housing units that are that are there, you know, more more for rental.

But we will have that form again, these strategic partnerships to make sure that we have more single family homes.

And I can't announce, now because it's not it's not it's not certain yet, but we will have someone who will be working with to build more of those innovative single family homes in the city of Rochester.

Last thing on housing.

I guess I'm getting the sense that you and Mr. Sindhi don't agree on a lot, but we'll see.

I don't I never I don't know much about the gentleman, okay?

I only know what you tell him.

You now, he did say on this program that there are several thousand vacant lots in the city where homes used to be.

He said new homes could be constructed.

Modular homes using existing infrastructure that would reduce the typical building cost to less than half.

And he says then you can pursue this strategy.

You can have 3000 new homes in existing lots with existing infrastructure, and that's what the city should be doing.

Yeah, yeah, I don't know.

I don't know.

Mr. Singh, how might want to find out about something called prevailing wage.

He may not understand that.

But again, look, the bottom line is that we have an all of the above approach as it relates to housing.

And if you talk to many large cities, they are looking to us, including the New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

They just they just highlight it.

Rochester for us in our in our in our home home home building in and affordable housing and everything else.

The bottom line is, is that you have to have an all of the above approach.

I say build, baby, build and that has been my approach.

So we have we have converted, we have converted old, old manufactured structures.

We've converted more old, old office buildings.

We built new we've, we, we've formed strategic partnerships to build housing like we're doing with First Genesis, who's building both, senior apartments and also single family homes, like we're doing with a bunch of other organizations.

That's how you that's how you build more housing.

And one of the reasons why Rochester Market is so hot is because compared to the rest of the country, we're still pretty, pretty affordable.

When you can get an average house in the city of Rochester for about 140 hundred and $50,000, we're still cheaper than Boston in New York City and some of the other places.

So this is going to be something that's going to continue.

But I will tell you that we're not going to we're not going to do any shortcuts.

We're not putting people in crap.

So the reason why the reason why Biden black houses cost money is because they're built with custom materials.

They're built with things the same way we've done in Pittsburgh.

So for Mr. Cena or anybody else, is that his name?

Yeah.

Sindhi.

Sinha.

Sinha?

you know.

Yeah.

you know, we we are going to make sure that we build quality housing for our residents, and we will never apologize for working to build houses in Red line neighborhoods, because we're still, dealing with the sins of the past.

how do you feel about where things are with opioids?

It's it's an issue across the country.

It's an issue in rural areas.

This issue in suburbs, issue in cities certainly has been here.

tell people what you've been working on there.

It's our number.

It's our number one is one of our top issues is number.

And we'll probably I'll put it up there with mental health.

Number one.

Number two, opioid number two, gun violence.

Those are all the top three tied for three.

but opioid is rising to the top.

We we wanted to make sure that we started getting to people on the street.

So we launched our neighborhood ambassador program.

We targeted four key areas of the city.

Monroe Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Lao Avenue, and North Clinton Avenue.

And we've had some success.

We've graduated our first couple of classes, and the idea is to get people connected to services, get them connected to jobs, but more importantly, get them connected to treatment.

we are going to have to treat our way out of this.

in the challenge for the city is, is that the city is a place where people come to buy their opioid.

I was telling you off the air that we did a, we did a study to see where people were coming from and people were coming from Greece, and they were coming from Batavia, and they were coming from Fairport to come and get their opioid.

So we sent letters to them saying, hey, here are the services that are available.

Let us, let us help you.

So that's the one thing, the treatment thing.

And then we also have to work to cut off and choke the supply and go after the dealers that are giving people deadly opioids.

Every day in the city of Rochester, someone dies of an opioid.

I mean, it blows gun violence and car accidents and stuff out of the out of the out of the water.

We just don't talk about it.

I think it's still taboo.

I think people are embarrassed because if you are a, both of your parents are doctors and they're doing well, they don't want to talk about their child dying of opioid addiction.

So we have to remove the stigma.

We formed a joint partnership with Monroe County, the, the Fatality Overdose Review Committee, and it's made up of all the leaders in the in the county, in city to look at what we can do, as it relates to stopping opioids and really creating the story for every person that passes away to, to to track back, to see what happened, to see how we can try to, intervene and stop this.

It is a horrible tragedy across the country, as it relates to the opioid epidemic and is one of the saddest things.

And, and we want to do our part, obviously, we work with the county.

We use our opioid sets, some our opioid settlement money to launch this neighborhood ambassador program.

And, we think that it's that that it's a cause worth fighting for because we've lost way too many lives and it cuts across income, race, economic status.

Where you live, it doesn't matter.

It is killing people.

And we have to make sure that we continue to focus on it.

all right.

Moving quick because time's running out, Michael says.

Could you ask the mayor why our elected officials aren't doing anything to improve the horrible conditions that people are forced to live in, in that nursing home in Charlotte.

He's talking about Waterview Heights.

Yeah.

tell me a little bit about that.

Shout out to Deanna Dewberry and News10 ABC credit, where it's due that she has done multiple reports on Waterview Heights.

is a facility where, according to her reporting, people have not gotten meds on time.

They haven't had bed sheets change.

They've had poor conditions.

visitors not allowed.

it's been really tough.

And Michael saying, you know, can something be done now?

Yeah.

That's again that's that's that's more state county.

But again, he's got he's got my support.

I have zero patience for individuals that, disrespect and disregard our elderly.

And when they go to a nursing home, they should be treated well.

And that includes his Waterview Heights place that he's talking about.

So I think from my perspective where I sit, I always say, what can I do within my respected place and station?

Although, nursing homes are run by the state, I can I one of the things I can do is reach out to the state.

And I also can reach out to Waterview Heights and and let them know that I have concerns.

about about that about about those, horrible conditions that the caller just, that that the writer just just mentioned.

All right, now let's flip to a different age sector youth.

you've had a lot of emphasis on making sure kids have opportunities.

Yes.

Is there a good path?

Yeah.

I mean, on our last two minutes, would you want to me now?

I wouldn't be where I am without the opportunities that I got as a young as a kid.

We continue to expand opportunities for kids.

we ran a pilot program that is now almost permanent for 12 to 14 year olds and are old enough to get a work permit, but they're old enough to learn about what it means to work, and we can give them a stipend.

And we've done that.

And for the last three, last three years, we've had more kids in our Summer of opportunity program than ever before.

record number of young people in I have, a belief that if young people are working, engaged in good activities, they will stay out of trouble.

Our e-sports.

We launched the first ever esports program, in the city of Rochester, which is they didn't have that many libraries and, and rec centers we've grown up at.

True.

But that's that's there.

And then we also added mental health providers in all of our, our centers.

So that way young people have an opportunity to go there.

And I did that because I have a group called the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, and they took a survey and their top issue was mental health.

And I said, how can we not ask them to go to mental health providers, but to have them there available for them?

And we added them into, into the, into the rec center.

So very important, very big focus on youth because there are future leaders of tomorrow.

We need to make sure that they have a strong foundation, and I'm proud that we've been able to give them that one minute left here.

What's going on with the Office of Financial Empowerment, office of Financial Empowerment?

stay tuned.

As you know, we have our Bank on coalition to make sure individuals are, are, bankable getting getting bank accounts and then our Prepare to Prosper program, which is making sure our entrepreneurs have the opportunity to know how to run their business.

And stay tuned to our future fund, which will launch in September, which will provide every single kindergartner that comes into school.

And the Rochester City School District a savings account that will be portable.

And they will have it from kindergarten through, 12th grade.

And they'll be able to use that for, trade school or college or work or careers or whatever it is they want to be able to do.

It's all about making sure that we create, financial empowerment for our residents so that we, we can set up a strong financial future for them.

Now, is that our the letter our our.

Oh, you are like Rochester, like our the our future fund launching in September.

Yeah.

And I'm sure you have Angela Rollins and I hope some of the folks on here to talk about it.

we still are working out all the kinks, but we'll have some very, very cool announcements coming up.

And in fact, have a big meeting next week.

to kind of put the bow on this thing.

And I can't wait to, to roll it out to the community and for families to be able to take advantage of it.

Malik Evans Dawg is the website the incumbent is running for reelection, and that's the third in our series of conversations.

Previously you heard Shashi Sinha, Mary lupine, and now Malik Evans on this program.

All Democrats on the ballot in the June 24th primary and invite you to watch the only debate of the season that we'll be hosting.

And that's two weeks from tonight, May 28th, 8 p.m. on 60 platforms.

It's a voice at the voter debate with the candidates.

Mr. mayor, thank you for being here.

Nice to see you as always.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Evan.

Great to be on more connections coming up in just a moment.

Oh.

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