Mayor Cherelle Parker delivers her first budget address, promising to ‘enforce the law’ and clean up the city
With a booming voice and forceful rhetoric, Parker gave a rousing 75-minute speech outlining her “big and bold” $6.29 billion budget proposal to a packed chamber, earning frequent standing ovations for her plans to bolster street paving, increase “affordable luxury” housing opportunities for low-income residents, and spend $36 million onAnd she led with the issue that was central to her history-making campaign in last year’s election: public safety.
“We urge her to listen to people doing this work. We ask her not to discard decades of proven, evidence-based public health strategies,” Grant said. “The city cannot claim to care about people who use drugs while refusing to invest in harm reduction.” “This budget includes a plan for full-day and year-round schooling, offering students educational enrichment throughout the year, with schedules that work with working families,” Parker said.
”This will be a long, robust discussion between members of Council, as well as the administration,” Johnson told reporters. “And we’ll see where we end up.”