Syracuse Mayor Walsh Issues Call For Ideas For Global Mayors Challenge

Press release from the City of Syracuse:

January 29 2021

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced that the City of Syracuse is accepting ideas from the community to put together a winning application for the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2021 Global Mayors Challenge. The City’s submission is being managed by the Office of Accountability, Performance & Innovation (API) Innovation Team (i-team) which is seeking creative solutions to impediments to growth, access, and opportunity made evident by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Bloomberg Philanthropies, which provides funding to the City for its i-team, is offering a $1 million award to help the winning city implement its submission. Finalist cities will gain access to leading, world-renowned innovation and data experts to further enhance, perfect and carry out their idea.

“No one knows Syracuse better than the people who live here, so it makes sense to engage our residents in the Mayor’s Challenge,” said Mayor Walsh. “The i-team is great at combining community input and data to create effective programs that make our City better. Since I’ve been mayor, the i-team has come up with effective solutions to challenges in sidewalk snow clearance, housing instability and getting permits for projects. I’m excited to see what comes of this next partnership with our community.”

Bloomberg says it is seeking ideas in response to the unique challenges of the pandemic that improve the delivery of services to the City’s diverse population, meet the needs of its residents, or impact neighborhoods in a transformational way can be in any stage of development. The challenge focuses on four key themes:

-health and well-being (medical, behavioral, and social determinants of health for residents);

• -climate and environment (tackling the root causes and effects of climate change in order to build more livable and resilient cities);

-economic recovery and inclusive growth (creating systems and solutions that allow all city residents to overcome economic distress and thrive); and

• -good governance and equality (using city powers to tackle oppression, promote fairness, and improve participation).

Applications can be submitted via a special online form until Friday, Feb. 5. A committee made up of internal city department representatives will review each idea and select a list for Mayor Walsh to choose from. The i-team will contact the individual or team that submits the winning idea to participate in developing the application to the Mayor’s Challenge. Finalists will be announced by Bloomberg Philanthropies in June 2021.

“In 2013, the City vied for a spot to win the grand prize for the year’s Mayors Global Challenge to establish a global food market. While the concept was not selected to move forward, it has now come to fruition in the form of the Salt City Market,” said Nico Diaz Amigo, Chief Data and Innovation Officer for the City. “The vision and leadership of the Allyn Foundation and many community partners brought that idea to life. We encourage the community to share its ideas again. Amazing things can happen.”

This press release was produced by the City of Syracuse. The views expressed here are the author’s own.