WOMEN OF WESTERN NEW YORK

City on the Rise: City of Rochester’s Mayor Lovely Warren Putting Her City Back on the Map
The City of Rochester has seen its fair share of decline over the past few
decades. The third largest city in New York State, Rochester has been riddled
with violence, drug-related crime and poverty. It has been a city struggling to
turn itself around and for the past three years, it has been under the leadership of
a woman trying to make that happen. Mayor Lovely Warren, 67th mayor of the
city and Rochester native, is a dedicated leader, committed to making a tangible
difference in her city. Working tirelessly with her team at City Hall, Mayor Warren
is trying to ensure a better future for her constituents.
Mayor Warren has made a career of public service, beginning as a council
member. Representing the poorest district in the city, Warren was dissatisfied
with the status quo of city government. She realized that many of the programs
and initiatives being put forth by city officials were not reaching her constituency.
Her decision to compete for the Mayor’s seat was prompted by the fact that the
people she represented were not being noticeably or positively impacted by
any of the “improvements” that were taking place in pockets of the city. Warren
decided that she could take on the job to help not only her constituency, but the
entire Rochester community.
Since taking office, the Mayor has had three priorities for her city:
1) Improving education;
2) Increasing safety in the community;
3) Fostering economic development throughout Rochester
Her time has not been wasted. Rochester has begun to see growth from neighborhood
communities to the downtown area. Development projects are underway
throughout the city, improvements to infrastructure has begun and business
projects are expanding to help turn around a struggling economy.
Acknowledging that drug and gun-related violence have been a particularly
difficult challenge during her tenure, Warren is encouraged by the city’s growth.
She feels the visible improvements are a beacon of hope for residents to see
the positive changes that can restore community pride, achievement and unity.
Warren and her team work to ensure that preventative measures are in place to
combat the violence before it occurs; however, for those who choose to take the
wrong path, consequences are serious. She hopes that the many preventative
programs available to families will steer people away from resorting to violence;
but wants to be clear that violence and crime are not acceptable, and that all
within her power will be done to keep criminal activity to a minimum.
In keeping with crime prevention, Warren is a huge supporter of education.
According to Warren, education – particularly early childhood education – is
paramount to breaking cycles of poverty and violence. Warren states, “[We
must] work to make the pipeline secure to help people already in the pipeline.”
By providing children with quality education at a young age, they develop the
important cognitive and emotional skills necessary to make sound choices as
they move into teenage years and adulthood. This year, Warren rolled out her
“3-to-3 Initiative,” which strives to get more students reading at grade level by
the end of their third grade year in school. The more successful students are at
mastering reading at young age, the more likely they are to do well in middle and
high school, and graduate on time. The 3-to-3 Initiative has created new early
childhood programs in libraries and R-Centers (City of Rochester recreation and
community centers); partnered with agencies to engage at-risk parents in programs
which provide resources and tools for encouraging development and literacy in
young children; secured grant funds to expand educational opportunities, such as
PK3; and partnered with agencies to provide early childhood screenings to detect
Mayor Lovely Warren
photo by: Xavier’s