Lucas Willard: Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs marked her first 100 days in office Monday by discussing a survey her administration conducted with city residents. WAMC's Sajina Shrestha joins us in the studio to talk about what Applyrs has in store for the city and how she plans on paying for her initiatives given the city's budget deficit. Hi Sajina.
Sajina Shrestha: Hi Lucas.
Lucas Willard: So tell me about this survey. What did it find, and will there be anything that actually comes out of it, any policies, that sort of thing?
Sajina Shrestha: Well, Applyrs, who ran on making Albany more affordable, supporting local businesses and advancing economic development, says the survey highlighted similar points. Speaking to reporters, she talked about the common dreams many Albany residents shared in the survey. Take a listen.
Applyrs: "So many residents and business owners and other constituencies [are] all feeling the same things and wanting the city to focus on and wanting my administration to focus on those things that people care deeply about, like public safety, economic development and youth.”
Sajina Shrestha: According to Applyrs’ office, the survey drew over 6,000 respondents. She says she has detailed around 30 different actions she’s promised to take over the next four years based on the survey results. All 30 of these actions focused on the four broader issues she touched on in that soundbite before. Some notable action items included making a grant program that will match vacant storefronts with people hoping to open businesses. She calls it the “pop-up to permanent pipeline.” And she discussed creating youth support hubs in community spaces like recreation centers so young folks have places to socialize and gather after school and during the weekend.
Lucas Willard: So, Sajina, earlier I had mentioned that the city is facing a budget deficit. So how is the mayor one actually planning on paying for this? The deficit roughly $15 million for fiscal year 2025, she expects a $22 million deficit for fiscal year 2026. So what's going on?
Sajina Shrestha: Right, and the state budget has yet to be passed, and that could impact city work given that State Senator Pat Fahy is also asking the state for a total of $35 million in aid for the city. Applyrs said that her action plans laid out yesterday were created in a way that would be considerate of those cuts. She said while she was mindful of the restrictions with the current budget deficit, it was also important to note that the city still has needs.
Applyrs: "We still need to be innovative in how we approach some of our city's most complex challenges. There are things that we just can't afford not to do, and so I am being very mindful of our budget challenges, but also acknowledging that there are still real challenges in real time that we have to address."
Lucas Willard: And Sajina, did the mayor have anything to add or update the public about that deficit?
Sajina Shrestha: Right. So, as we know, she announced that budget deficit almost a month ago and when she did, she had asked department heads to submit reduction plans of 7, 10, and 15%. Well, yesterday she was asked about that reduction plan and she kind of side-stepped that question. She said she finally got those reduction plans from all departments last Friday. So, she will be working on that in the upcoming days but didn’t have any hard details on what that plan would entail. She kept her answer hopeful, but a little abstract.
Applyrs: "The city has seen dark times before. The city's prior mayors have experienced structural deficits before, we will get on the other side of this. And so, it is important for me to, as the mayor, to plan for not just the city that we have today, but also the city that we want to see and feel in the future."
Lucas Willard: And that's WAMC's Sajina Shrestha. Thank you Sajina.
Sajina Shrestha: Thank you Lucas.
