Bronx, NY – As mandated by the New York City Charter, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson laid out a bold and sweeping 4-Year Strategic Policy Statement with a focus on equity and access. The report outlines her vision to address the long-term challenges facing the Bronx with comprehensive policy goals and a strategy to execute them.

In January, Vanessa L. Gibson was sworn in as the Bronx’s 14th Borough President, the first African American and woman to serve in this role. This 223-page report is the product of her years of experience serving as a New York State Assembly Member and New York City Council Member. In collaboration with the 12 Bronx Community Boards, and targeted discussions with stakeholders representing various neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, the report is the culmination of their discussion aimed at seeing Bronx residents empowered and uplifted.

“We are at a critical turning point in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “After enduring a global pandemic, we understand now more than ever the policy failures from the past that contributed to years of disinvestment in our borough and continue to have an adverse effect on the health and well-being of our communities. This is the time to be bold. We need creative solutions to address the issues impacting our residents and families and I believe my strategic policy plan does just that. It is a blueprint for how we move forward.”

She continued, “Working together with an energized leadership at all levels of government, we have an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past by ensuring our most vulnerable communities finally receive the necessary resources and support they deserve. We will no longer accept being the first in everything bad and the last in everything good.”

The Strategic Policy Plan begins with an Executive Summary and is divided into 4 sections beginning with, “The Office of the Bronx Borough President,” outlining the role of her Office in City government. The other sections are “The Bronx: Who We Are,” that provides an overview of the Bronx’s 1.4 million residents, followed by “The Bronx: Where We Live,” and the “The Bronx: How We Thrive,” that addresses Economic Development, Education, Health, Environmental Justice, Public Safety, Waste Management and Digital Equity.

“I am thankful to serve as Borough President for such a time as this and look forward to building, collaborating and creating new approaches, initiatives and partnerships that strive to improve our beloved Borough of the Bronx. The time is now. We are ready to lead. Ready to work. Ready to see the transformative change that the Bronx needs and deserves.”

For a full copy of the report, click here.