On Jan. 10 of this year, just over one week before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Former President Obama gave his farewell address in his hometown of Chicago. The speech, focused on the “state of our democracy” and highlighted what has been accomplished while recognizing the work left to be done.

On Friday, outgoing Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner gave her own farewell address that, while smaller in scale, similarly felt like the definitive end of a chapter in an increasingly complicated story.

Syracuse stands at a crossroads. A potential city-county merger, an increasingly antagonistic federal administration, and growing distrust in our institutions by voters are a few of the many challenges faced by Syracuse politicians. In the face of these difficulties, Miner instead chose to focus on our greater society, calling for more introspection and contemplation from all citizens.

The stated topic of the speech was “The Need for Reflection in a Hot-Take Culture,” something that certainly shone throughout the speech. Miner discussed the seemingly relentless gun violence that she saw, and how it always led to the talking heads of both sides of the political spectrum calling for “solutions” that had little chance of implementation or success.

She referenced the high levels of poverty many of Syracuse’s residents face, and how this impacts education and housing and job prospects. And she talked about the inherent challenges for immigrants and minorities in the city and in our country as a whole.

Weaved throughout this was the need for understanding and accountability. Understanding of a situation before giving an unfiltered reaction. The accountability of our elected officials to their constituents, rather than campaign contributors. We as citizens must be willing to put more time and energy into our own governance if we want to see it benefit ourselves and those around us.

It is undoubtedly very important to look forward, set our path for the future and identify the goals and difficulties that lie ahead. This is what the upcoming mayoral election represents, the choice over what Syracuse will be moving forward. But along with that comes a need to reflect, to understand the past in order to improve on that in the future.

Miner’s speech serves in this role, a rumination on her success — and challenges — along with a hopefulness for what the future brings. Miner put it best when she said in her speech “We dream of a future that looks different, but includes us.”

If we are to build on the achievements of Miner’s administration for Syracuse’s future, that “us” must be inclusive, innovative, and engaged. This would be the ultimate legacy of Miner’s work for the city of Syracuse.

Cole Jermyn is a senior environmental resource engineering major at SUNY-ESF. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at cdjermyn@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @Cjermyn8.

Published on October 28, 2017 at 1:17 pm