In 'State of the City' address, Ruais cites past accomplishments, teases future initiatives
Feb. 12—Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais continued to hammer on a hot topic currently in the news even while looking ahead during his 2025 State of the City address Wednesday.
Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd of members of the Greater Manchester Chamber, Ruais once again took aim at one of the state's new magistrates who released a man accused in a stabbing outside an Elm Street convenience store Friday night.
Kyle Bisson, 25, was arrested on Bridge Street on charges of second-degree assault and two counts of falsifying evidence.
At a magistrate hearing Saturday, police argued for Bisson to be held on preventive detention. But Magistrate Stephanie Johnson released him on personal recognizance bail, "despite the extreme violence and randomness of the crime," police said in a news release.
"In what world does that make sense?" Ruais asked Wednesday. "This is especially maddening when we learned more — the man arrested for stabbing had a conviction for domestic violence on his record. Where is the justice for the victims? Where is the justice for the police? Where is the justice for our residents and businesses?
"What is it going to take for this madness to end? We need bail reform now more than ever."
Ruais said in 2024 that there were 2,971 adults arrested in Manchester. Those individuals would account for 4,551 arrests, Ruais said, because 27% of them were arrested more than once. Of the 2,971 arrested, he said 715 — or 24% — were out on bail at the time of their subsequent arrest.
"This is entirely unacceptable," Ruais said, to a round of applause. "There could be nothing more transformative in Manchester than taking nearly 1,000 criminals off our streets. The city would literally change overnight."
'Thriving,' amid challenges
Among several topics in his 20-plus minute speech at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, Ruais said Manchester has been designated the hottest housing market in the country, and ranked one of the top places to live.
"It means our city is a destination for families and businesses and we're thriving — but it also creates upward pressure on housing prices, and with a .6% vacancy rate, presents challenges in affordability," Ruais said.
The mayor said in 2024 the city issued 535 certificates of occupancy, 600 new dwellings came online, and 707 units are in active construction.
"We also have an exciting project we are working on that has the potential to greatly increase the number of transitional units in our city, while getting more unhoused off our streets," Ruais said.
"We have a real opportunity to change a significant number of lives. I only wish this address were a month later so I could tell you all about it."
Ruais said city budget talks are ongoing for fiscal 2026, mentioning that two years ago the Manchester School District entered into contracts that brought their employees to market rates, giving the district a competitive chance to land the best educators.
"This year, we have a similar opportunity on the city side with our own comprehensive compensation study that was completed," Ruais said. "I am committed to ensuring our city workers are compensated fairly, while continuing to ensure our taxpayers are protected. I will never gut essential city services, and I will always put the taxpayer first."
Looking to the future, Ruais — who has already announced he will seek a second term — said in the coming weeks he plans to unveil "Together We Rise: 50 Initiatives, One Future," a collection of plans officials hope to implement in the coming years.
"These ideas come from our countless town halls, community and aldermanic meetings and more," Ruais said. "It's aggressive, but that's what people expect from the city that is as enduring as its iconic mill buildings."
Some of the ideas include:
* Allocating funds to better light downtown at night to deter crime and create a warm, welcoming environment.
* A commitment to making a "historic investment" in city roads.
* Developing an AI Policy Guide for Manchester, and plans to implement items like an AI Chatbot to facilitate user interaction between city departments and residents.
* Creating an action plan for local seniors to address the need for programming at the William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center on the West Side.
Ruais said he genuinely loves "every second of this job."
"While my time in office is finite, my duty to the city is indefinite," Ruais said. "It's incumbent upon us to leave Manchester a better place. I want to be able to look back and say, we listened, and we got things done."
pfeely@unionleader.com
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Los Angeles Times
13 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
This Los Angeles city official testified for four days so Karen Bass wouldn't have to
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It's David Zahniser, with an assist from Noah Goldberg and Laura Nelson, giving you the latest on city and county government. If Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass manages to hold on to her power to oversee the city's homelessness programs, she may well have one person to thank: City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo. Szabo, a fixture in the administrations of the past three mayors, was effectively the city's star witness in its legal battle against the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, the nonprofit group that sued the city in 2020 over its handling of the homelessness crisis. During a seven-day hearing that concluded Wednesday, the alliance pressed U.S. Dist. Judge David O. Carter to take authority over homeless services away from Bass and the City Council and give it to a to-be-determined third party overseen by the court. On four of those seven days, Szabo sat in the witness chair, defending the city's decisions and occasionally offering cutting remarks about the city's critics. Above all, he insisted the city would meet its obligation to provide 12,915 additional homeless beds by June 2027, as required under a settlement agreement with the alliance. Szabo, who reports to both Bass and the council, is well known within City Hall for his work preparing the city budget, negotiating with city unions and providing policy recommendations on homelessness and other issues. During his time in Carter's courtroom, he was also a human shield, taking the brunt of the hostile questions and helping to ensure that Bass and others would not be called to testify. Throughout the proceedings, the city's lawyers lodged hundreds of objections to the alliance's questions, sometimes before they had been fully asked. Carter cautioned them that the rapid-fire interruptions could make things difficult for inexperienced witnesses. He also made clear that the group did not include Szabo. 'Mr. Szabo,' the judge said, 'certainly is used to the stress.' The alliance had placed not just Bass but also Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Traci Park on its witness list, saying all three had made public statements criticizing the response system. Bass herself called the system 'broken' during her State of the City address in April, a fact highlighted by Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for the alliance. Those statements, Umhofer said, only reinforce the alliance's argument that the city's homelessness programs are beyond repair and must be placed into receivership. 'The city is not fixing that broken system,' he said during closing arguments. 'It's simply doubling down on that broken system.' Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl, asked to explain the mayor's use of the word 'broken,' said she was referring to a number of obstacles, including 'an urge from many to return to the old way of doing things that allowed homelessness to explode.' 'But change is happening,' he said. 'Under the Mayor's leadership, we are moving forward.' The city's newly hired legal team from Gibson Dunn, the law firm that persuaded the Supreme Court to uphold laws barring homeless encampments on public property, sought to amplify that message. They also claimed the mayor and council members were shielded by the 'apex doctrine,' which bars high-level, or apex, government officials from testifying except in extraordinary circumstances. The city's lawyers offered up just two witnesses of their own: Szabo and Etsemaye Agonafer, Bass' deputy mayor for homelessness programs, saying they were the most familiar with the issues. The alliance initially sought 15. Agonafer testified for about four hours, highlighting progress made by the mayor's Inside Safe program, which moves people out of encampments and into hotels and motels. Umhofer ultimately withdrew his subpoenas targeting Bass and the others, saying he didn't want to incur additional delays. But he called Bass cowardly for failing to show up. By then, he said, his team had enough evidence to show that the city's elected officials should no longer control homeless programs. 'We have quite literally put the homelessness response system in Los Angeles on trial,' said Elizabeth Mitchell, another alliance attorney, on the final day of proceedings. The alliance used much of the questioning to highlight problems at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, also known as LAHSA. That agency, overseen by a board of appointees from the city and county, has been criticized repeatedly in audits dating back to 2001 — documents highlighted by the alliance during the proceedings. Szabo acknowledged that LAHSA has faced issues with data collection. But he insisted that the city is closely tracking the beds required under its settlement with the alliance. 'We have taken steps to ensure that the data we are reporting is accurate,' he told the court. Carter, who has yet to rule in the case, did not sound as confident in the city's attention to detail. On Wednesday, he demanded that the city turn over records regarding its compliance with another agreement in the case — this one known as the 'roadmap.' The roadmap agreement, which expires June 30, required the city to produce 6,700 beds. In his order, Carter raised questions about whether city officials had double counted 'time-limited subsidies' — money used to help homeless people move into apartments and pay their rent — by applying them both to the roadmap requirements and to the obligations within the alliance settlement agreement. Szabo said city officials are collecting the records for the judge. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, whose district includes Hollywood, voiced confidence in Szabo. He also praised Bass for taking on the issue of homelessness, pointing out that LAHSA reported that the city had made progress last year. 'We're doing things that are showing results,' said Soto-Martínez, whose office has participated in 23 Inside Safe encampment operations. 'Is it perfect? No. But we're working through it.' — ICE RAID OUTRAGE: L.A.'s elected officials voiced their anger on Friday over a series of federal immigration sweeps in Westlake, Cypress Park and other parts of the city. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said the individuals detained were 'hardworking Angelenos who contribute to our local economy and labor force every day.' Bass issued her own statement, saying: 'We will not stand for this.' 'As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' she said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.' — WELCOME, AECOM: Nearly five months after a firestorm laid waste to a wide swath of Pacific Palisades, Bass announced that the city has hired the global infrastructure firm AECOM to develop a plan for rebuilding the area and reconstructing utilities and other infrastructure. The firm will work alongside both the city and Hagerty Consulting, which Bass tapped as a recovery contractor in February, according to the mayor's office. — SWITCHING HORSES? Businessman and gubernatorial candidate Stephen J. Cloobeck offered praise for L.A.'s mayor last year, commending her for her work addressing homelessness. He even said he had donated $1 million to LA4LA, an initiative promoted by Bass during her 2024 State of the City address, an event he attended. But last weekend, while making the rounds at the California Democratic Convention, he told The Times he wasn't so keen on Bass' leadership. 'I would support Rick Caruso in a heartbeat over Mayor Karen Bass, and that's a quote,' he said. — MISSED MESSAGES: Bass has come under heavy scrutiny for deleting text messages she sent during the January firestorms. But she wasn't the only one. L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the area devastated by the Eaton fire, has an iPhone that 'auto deletes' messages every 30 days, her spokesperson said. — ENGINE TROUBLE: Earlier this year, then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley cited disabled engines, and a lack of mechanics, as one reason why fire officials did not dispatch more personnel to Pacific Palisades before the Jan. 7 fire. But a Times analysis found that many of the broken engines highlighted by department officials had been out of service for many months or even years — and not necessarily for a lack of mechanics. What's more, the LAFD had dozens of other engines that could have been staffed and deployed in advance of the fire. — SAYONARA, CEQA: State lawmakers are on the verge of overhauling the California Environmental Quality Act, which has been used for decades to fight real estate development and public works projects in L.A. and elsewhere. One proposal would wipe away the law for most urban housing developments. — PADRINOS PAYOUT: L.A. County has agreed to pay nearly $2.7 million to a teenager whose violent beating at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall launched a sprawling criminal investigation into so-called 'gladiator fights' inside the troubled facility. Video of the December 2023 beating, captured on CCTV, showed Jose Rivas Barillas, then 16, being pummeled by six juveniles as probation officers stood idly by. — EVADING EVICTION: A 70-year-old homeless man who illegally moved into a state-owned house in the path of the now-canceled 710 Freeway extension is fighting his eviction. Benito Flores, who seized a vacant residence in El Sereno several years ago, recently holed up in a tree house he built in the backyard — and so far has warded off attempts by sheriff's deputies to lock him out. — AIRPORT AHEAD: The long-awaited LAX/Metro transit center at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street finally opened on Friday, bringing commuters tantalizingly close to Los Angeles International Airport. For now, free shuttle buses will run every 10 minutes along the 2.5-mile route between the transit center and LAX. — BREAKING BARRIERS: The first transgender captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department died last month at age 80. Michele Kaemmerer joined the LAFD in 1969, retiring in 2003. She transitioned in 1991 and later led Engine 63 in Marina del Rey. In a 1999 interview with PBS, Kaemmerer said that some firefighters who knew her before she transitioned refused to work with her. Despite those hardships, she 'always had a good attitude,' said her widow, Janis Walworth. That's it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@ Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
West Sacramento's State of the City: Mayor touts growth, planned $100M investments into city projects
West Sacramento mayor breaks down top priorities from 2025 State of the City address West Sacramento mayor breaks down top priorities from 2025 State of the City address West Sacramento mayor breaks down top priorities from 2025 State of the City address WEST SACRAMENTO -- Mayor Martha Guerrero, in her State of the City address, emphasized growth as she laid out future plans for the city on Thursday. The mayor, in listing off the successes of this past year, was quick to first point out that West Sacramento pulled off Sutter Health Park becoming the new temporary home of the formerly-Oakland Athletics as the club makes its eventual move to Las Vegas. "We are setting the standard for what a small but mighty city can do. We're not just growing. We are growing with purpose and with passion," said Guerrero in her address to the city. In less than a year's time, the city got the AAA-Minor League ballpark up to Major League Baseball standards, implemented a traffic safety plan and worked to invest in small businesses near the ballpark, helping them expand and prepare for an increase in foot traffic. The city is leaning into its newly announced nickname, 'the baseball side of the river.' "We are demonstrating to Major League Baseball that we have what it takes, a small city, what it takes to highlight some of the success along the riverfront," Guerrero told CBS13. With rapid growth, West Sacramento is going through some expected growing pains. It's had to respond to more foot traffic, a population uptick and all the infrastructure needs that entails. Better roads, more police and bigger projects are the city's focus. A major priority for both the city of West Sacramento and the city of Sacramento is finally breaking ground on the years-in-the-making I Street Bridge Replacement Project. In collaboration with Sacramento, Guerrero says West Sacramento will be financially investing in the project and expect it to break ground in 2026. "What we do need is a bigger bridge that allows for safer bike and pedestrian traffic going to the Railyards and also coming to our Washington District, which we are planning on expanding," said Guerrero. As Sacramento faces a steep $44 million budget deficit, West Sacramento is seeing rare financial freedom. Guerrero pointed to the November election, when voters passed a sales tax increase through Measure O. Its passage has now given the green light to a more than $20 million investment back into city projects. "For parks, addressing homelessness, police and fire," said Guerrero. The mayor says Measure O has already helped West Sacramento's police force grow by 38 new officers and funded critically needed road repairs. Plus, in a first of its kind $86 million bond issuance, the city over three years will be able to fast-track new development projects. This, Guerrero says, one day could mean that West Sacramento has its own downtown scene. "Right now, it is just conversations on what we can do to support building a downtown that is attractive with mixed-use development along West Capitol," said Guerrero. West Capitol Ave. is home to the Grand Gateway Master Plan, which reimagines the corridor connecting Jefferson Blvd. down to the riverfront. The city has recently purchased old motel properties along West Capitol Ave. that currently house homeless temporary housing services to eventually be turned into a boutique hotel and new housing. Next summer, the city also expects the Pierside Development along the waterfront to open, home to more than 200 new apartments and commercial space. A hotel on the water is also in its early planning stages next to the Ziggurat building on the West Sacramento side of the river. "I'm proud to share we are seeing remarkable momentum across all sectors. Industrial, residential, office, retail and mixed use," said Guerrero in her state of the city remarks. Watch the mayor's full address at this link.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Mayor Matson gives final State of the City Address
Davenport mayor Mike Matson delivered his final State of the City Address Thursday afternoon. He has announced that he is not seeking re-election, but for now his message to the city of Davenport is continual improvement. 'I can't thank the conversations I've had, uncomfortable or comfortable, but I need to thank you for that,' Matson said. 'I give credit to) the folks that do the work and work together in different entities to give city council goals and ideas on what to do. It's because of you.' The mayor pointed out improvements across Davenport, including a 66 percent decrease in shots fired over the last five years. 'Davenport, again, just like the parks', Good Neighbor Project, recognized as an example of how to do gun violence intervention, how to do gun and crime reduction, 'Matson said. He also noted that nearly a billion dollars have been investment in the northern part of the city. 'Set the table so businesses, when they are interested in coming, are ready to go,' Matson said. 'That's what the city council, the staff, that's what a lot of people have told us to do, and we are doing it.' Matson added that the key to continuing a positive trajectory is collaboration. 'There are no words to say how important it is for everyone in this room, much less everybody out in whatever world you are, to work together,' Matson said. 'Come to the same vision of how do we improve whatever it is we want to improve.' Matson said that Davenport's future is bright. 'We are doing a good thing. Maybe we can improve here, but thank God we have partners, thank God we have people who care about the community, and thank God we have people to work together,' Matson said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
