Rochester Leadership Digest Mayor Lovely Ann Warren

Leadership – A Means to an End Mayor of The City of Rochester

A leader must have courage, must listen to diverse ideas and be willing to do the right thing.

       Leadership, to me, is not a goal but a means to an end, and I continue to be motivated by the people I’ve grown up with, or met throughout Rochester who are creative, hardworking and full of potential.
       As a child in the 19^th Ward, I saw people in my city who lacked access to opportunities. As I got older, I saw a tale of two Rochester’s – neighborhoods that were growing after an era of decline while other neighborhoods remained neglected. Not everyone was benefitting. If I was going to take the lead and work to usher in a rising tide, I wanted it to lift ALL boats.
       I ran for Mayor to fight for jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities for all of Rochester. Our city is once again becoming a place our young people are proud to call home. While we talk a lot about development – and I am truly excited about projects like the Inner Loop and ROC the Riverway – ultimately, it’s not about infrastructure, it’s about making life better for the people who live here. My goal is a vibrant, healthy city for people of all ages. To lead that effort, I focus on three things:

       Collaboration: Healthy partnerships are crucial to a city’s success – and that means cultivating and building relationships with leaders in the public, private, nonprofit, academic, citizen and neighborhood sectors. As a leader, I owe it to my community to advocate on its behalf and ask for the resources my city deserves. When we work together, we all rise as one.

       Objectives: I manage by objectives and put great faith in the people around me, trusting them to accomplish the goals we set as a team. Picking the right people is one of the most challenging responsibilities of a leader – but also the most important. A leadership team must operate with integrity and be visible in the community. My team knows I also expect clear and measurable progress toward our objectives.

       Innovation: I will not accept “because that’s the way we’ve always done things,” as a response. Often, old problems demand new solutions. Our community is program rich and results poor. I am looking for new ideas and identifying initiatives that have been successful in other cities, in other communities. I am willing to take risks and try new things. I believe that change can be hard, but change can happen if you keep pushing forward.
     

When I remain focused on the people I serve, it’s easier to confront the challenges. A leader must have courage, must listen to diverse ideas and be willing to do the right thing even in the face of opposition.
       For example, as Mayor, I have little say in how our public schools are run – but I refuse to be silent. Too many children in Rochester are stuck in failing schools and that’s unacceptable. A child’s zip code should not determine their fate. Meeting the needs of children has been a primary goal of mine from the first day of my administration, and we’ve significantly improved pre-K enrollment, modernized our school buildings and expanded programs at our libraries and R-Centers to support our youth.
       But I can no longer sit back and wait for change from within the school district. This is why I’m advocating for a referendum vote to disband our dysfunctional school board and initiate the complete “reset” that Distinguished Educator Jaime Aquino recommended in his report. I want our families to have a say in fixing our schools and to give our kids a fighting chance at life.
       Taking on these challenges may not make me popular with everyone, but I’m not running for Homecoming Queen. I’m leading the third-largest city in New York State, and I take my responsibilities to our people seriously. I became a leader to make a difference.

       Mayor Lovely Ann Warren is Rochester’s first female, second African-American, and youngest mayor in modern times.
       She is currently serving her second four-year term, having been re-elected in 2017. Her administration continues to focus on job creation and improving educational opportunities for Rochester’s residents.
       Prior to becoming mayor, she was a Rochester City Council member from 2007 to 2013, and was elected as City Council president in 2010. She holds a bachelor’s degree from John Jay College and Juris Doctor from Albany Law School. She is married and the mother of a young daughter.