Recap: Framingham State Of The City

FRAMINGHAM, MA- Monday night was Framingham's 2nd annual State of the City address by Mayor Yvonne Spicer and it was full of highlights from the municipality's first year as a city.

Mayor Spicer began her speech by reminding residents of her initial promise of a smooth transition into a city. "It wasn’t always a smooth ride. We had some bumps along the way, but with each bump, I got up, dusted myself off, learned from every situation and kept moving," Mayor Spicer said, acknowledging that the initial year came with challenges. The mayor didn't take time in the speech to fully delve into the specifics of those challenges but instead highlighted the triumphs the city has made in its short life so far.

Mayor Spicer spoke about putting "residents at the forefront" with community hours at city hall and holding her own personal coffee meetings with residents. Events like the Brazilian health fair and the community health fair were mentioned as great achievements that promoted community involvement for a better city. The recent lawsuit against opioid manufacturers was also cited as an accomplishment to benefit residents safety.

On the financial end, the mayor spoke about increased property values and resident incomes. "Citywide, taxable property value is certified by the state at $9.8 billion, representing growth and value of $1.3 billion dollars. $132 million of that increase is from new development within our city," Mayor Spicer said. She added that the city's local revenue remains stable and financially healthy. Mayor Spicer made no mention of the new marijuana businesses looking to settle in the city, a topic that has been hotly debated across the city.

With the undertaking of transitioning to a city the mayor mentioned the boards, commissions and divisions whom she had to gain trust from as the first year progressed. Along with working with previous divisions, Mayor Spicer spoke briefly about the two new commissions, the licensing and traffic commissions. The mayor said she wanted to add diversity on a broad level and had "just a few slots open," on those commissions. Currently the city is looking for a volunteer member who is a business owner to join the traffic commission.

Among new hires and appointments for the city, Mayor Spicer mentioned Police Chief Steven Trask, who started as the interim chief before Mayor Spicer appointed him permanently. The decision stirred some controversy but Mayor Spicer highlighted in her speech that Chief Trask "has built a leadership team that is reflective of Framingham demographics." Mayor Spicer was referring to Chief Trask's recent promotion of Framingham’s first African American and first Portuguese-speaking Deputy Chiefs.

A big win for Framingham this year was the passage of the Fuller Middle School Building Project which Mayor Spicer used an example of government branches working together for a singular goal.

Other big wins mentioned were the completed Golden Triangle Study that envisions a revamped commercial area that fosters mixed-used development that is easily accessible to residents of both Natick and Framingham. The new Saxonville fire station was also mentioned as a marker of the city's progress to make the safety of residents a priority.

Woven into the speech between the highlights of the city's year and stories of resident triumph, Mayor Spicer repeated one phrase: And we've only just begun. While listing her goals for the city, Mayor Spicer announced she would again, request funds for a director of diversity and inclusion. To make the city more accessible to residents a new bike-share program will be unveiled to the city in the spring at no cost to the city, the mayor said.

Mayor Spicer closed her speech by comparing the city to a home that needs "a good foundation" and with one year under its belt, Framingham was on its way, but as Mayor Spicer said "we've only just begun."

Photo Credit: City Of Framingham Municipal Offices Facebook