'Era of opportunity': City Manager Eric Batista delivers State of the City address

WORCESTER — In his first State of the City address Wednesday, City Manager Eric D. Batista painted a picture of a city filled with opportunity.

"If we are successful, this era of opportunity, progress and change will become an era of accomplishment and victory," Batista said.

However, the city manager said Worcester faces challenges, citing a shortage in the housing supply, gun violence and fighting opioid addiction.

Wednesday's State of the City address was organized by the city and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and held at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. In 2017, former City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. had a State of the City address organized with the Research Bureau.

Referencing recently released 2023 Census Bureau data showing Worcester’s continued growth, Batista said he was struck by the city's evolution when touring the newly renovated top of the Glass Tower building, across from City Hall.

"I took in a panoramic view of how the landscape has changed in every direction. You can see landmarks old and new — from the Auditorium and Union Station, to Polar Park and the new Doherty High School," Batista said. "You can see new developments going up, demolition projects making way for new land use, expanded college campuses, new parks and green space, and more across all of our seven hills."

The city's growth, economic development and diverse population were among the strengths highlighted by Batista.

Lifting others

Batista, the first Latino and person of color to serve as city manager and a Worcester resident since childhood, recalled seeing his third-grade teacher at a neighborhood meeting and how seeing her again brought back memories of the role she played in helping him assimilate as a child who did not yet fully know English.

He said everyone has similar stories of people who made an impact in their lives. In turn, Batista said residents should uplift others.

In response to a question from the Telegram & Gazette, Batista said giving the address as the first Latino manager is a privilege.

"It means everything because it's a city I grew up in, that gave me the opportunities that I have and that my family has. I'm extremely honored and privileged to be able to just be in this position to serve," Batista said. "But I also know that the expectations are there as the first and I need to live up to them."

Batista told the Telegram & Gazette that "opportunity" was a guiding theme for the speech. He referred to Worcester as a city in "an era of opportunity" in the address

The city administration soon plans to roll out a strategic plan for the next five years that would address several of the issues mentioned in Batista's speech.

The issues

On housing, likely the biggest issue the city faces, Batista said the city's housing programs are unified through its Citywide Housing Strategy. The city's next step is a five-year Housing Production Plan.

He touted assistance programs for preserving affordable housing, down payment assistance and lead abatement and policies such as inclusionary zoning, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and allowing accessory dwelling units in the city.

The manager said permanent-supportive, affordable and market-rate housing are all part of a strategy to keep up with growth. He cheered the city adding 43 new permanent-supportive units with 152 in the works as well as the addition of 700 market-rate units in the last few months.

Batista even referenced the city's new Rental Registration Program, quietly alluding to the pushback it has seen after property owners were alerted about its rollout. He defended the registry as a means of ensuring 50,000 rental units meet state codes that protect residents.

The city is also working on a day resource center to provide supportive services to homeless people.

Economic development will be a way for the city to fund housing production and he said Worcester has made progress in attracting life sciences and bio-manufacturing in addition to its largest industries of health care and education.

'An ambitious goal'

The city has set a goal of 10,000 new jobs by 2030.

"It's an ambitious goal. One that will require investment, recruitment and policymaking to create well-paying jobs, professional development pathways and career support resources," Batista said.

Development will also be informed by the city's Worcester Now | Next Plan, which suggests zoning reforms, business improvement districts and technical assistance.

With Doherty completed and a new Burncoat High School up next, Batista said the city needs to rethink funding for school capital projects including a sustainable funding mechanism.

The city and Worcester Public Schools are working on a school capital maintenance fund to increase city contributions and find new funding sources.

Public health and public safety should not be treated as incompatible concepts, Batista said.

Youth violence

Batista acknowledged the city is reeling from a year that began with a relatively high number of homicides, several involving youths as either victims or suspected perpetrators.

"Families and friends are recovering from the loss of loved ones, the trauma associated with experiencing violence and the fear and repetition," Batista said. "But we are resilient, proud and unrelenting, and we will overcome the painful moment as a community, just as we have time and time again."

Public safety initiatives like a new Gun Intelligence Unit and an early start to the violence prevention program Summer Impact must be compatible with public health programs like the Worcester Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, Batista said.

A similar approach must be taken to the opioid epidemic, the manager added. Batista said this approach must include prevention, outreach and intervention and arresting drug dealers to disrupt the supply chain.

Batista also committed to initiatives to prevent traffic accidents, which he referred to as "traffic violence." He voiced support for Vision Zero, a movement to eliminate roadside fatalities.

Batista listed street and transportation infrastructure redesigns, data analysis and community engagement as tools to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

"We no longer accept 'accidents' as unavoidable collateral damage in transporting people from point A to point B," Batista said.

Batista also touted the city's goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, steps such as the planting of trees and Miyawaki forests to cool hot portions of the city and implementing a specialized stretch code for new construction.

The city's recycling program has reduced contamination by 50% and the city's Quality of Life Team has made efforts to address neighborhood trash and illegal dumping, Batista said.

At a time when diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have come under fire, Batista redoubled his support for city employment equity goals including equity audits of human resources, health and human services and police.

The city is building an office of diversity, equity and inclusion to implement its goals and is still in the midst of working to hire a chief equity officer after a candidate rejected an offer in January.

Another major theme, reinforced by quotes from former Presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, was a call to compromise. He said the city should not divide itself along lines such as neighborhood versus neighborhood, landlord versus renter or government versus resident.

"The issue is the enemy. People are not the enemy," Batista said. "It can be easy to stray from the principle because change and progress bring growing pains. We need to work hard to listen to each other and to what the data tells us."

After the speech, Batista said he was inspired not only by divisions within the city, but the increasingly polarized national landscape.

"The nation as a whole is dividing and everyone is in silos," Batista said. "We are figuring out what pertains to us, what are our positions that we're trying to take and we're missing the opportunity to listen to one another and be able to compromise."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester City Manager Eric Batista delivers State of the City address