It’s we, not me!

“We have planted the seeds that will bear fruit for years to come. By working with our partners in government and the people of Rochester, we will continue to accomplish remarkable things for our city.” – Mayor Malik D. Evans

Malik Evans has been the Mayor of Rochester since January 2022. He assumed the mantle of Rochester’s 71st Mayor with a long record of community involvement and civic leadership, beginning when he was a student at Wilson Magnet High School and including serving on Rochester City Council and Rochester Board of Education.

Upon taking office, Malik immediately adopted the expression “It’s we, not me” as his mantra to fulfill his promise to lead with a commitment to transparency and collaboration. As Mayor, he has sought to inspire hope and deliver opportunity for the people of Rochester.

His accomplishments in these categories include:

Public Safety

  • A 53 percent reduction in gun violence and a 45 percent reduction in homicides.
  • Creating the Office of Violence Prevention to end violence through prevention and intervention.
  • Expanding the Person in Crisis team for emergency responses to mental health challenges.
  • Initiating a Vision Zero program to improve pedestrian safety and end traffic deaths.

Equity

  • Advancing more than $1 billion in investments in affordable housing.
  • Securing more than $200 million in State and Federal funding to remove the Inner Loop North and restore minority neighborhoods torn apart by the expressway’s construction.
  • Creating the Office of Financial Empowerment to foster economic mobility with a focus on entrepreneurship, home ownership and financial literacy for City youth.
  • Launching the Buy the Block program with the construction of new homes for home ownership to reverse the effects of disinvestment and redlining in city neighborhoods.
  • Installing more than 7000 residential lead water service lines, with an emphasis on low-income neighborhoods, to replace all lead pipes by 2030.
  • Increasing City purchasing contracts and service agreements with minority- and women-owned businesses by more than 120 percent.
  • Adding 6,000 street trees to the urban forest to close the tree disparity in minority neighborhoods.

Prosperity

  • Continuing the progress of the ROC the Riverway waterfront revitalization program, including completion of Austin Steward Plaza; the Rundel Library North Terrace; and the Pont de Rennes.
  • Advancing the revitalization of the Bulls Head neighborhood.
  • Eradicating long-standing blight at the corner of East Main Street and South Clinton Avenue.
  • Facilitating almost $1 billion in private sector investment to establish a live, work, play environment in downtown.
  • Welcoming Constellation Brands, a Fortune 500 company, to downtown.
  • Ending historic labor impasses with the City’s collective bargaining units.

As a teenager growing up in the city, Malik initiated the City-County Youth Council to help get young people in Monroe County involved in community service. His extensive community involvement led to speaking engagements throughout the country on the role youth can play in community transformation. His election to Council in 2017 was a homecoming, as he had served previously as Legislative Aide to Rochester City Council from 2000-2002. As an at-large City Councilmember, Malik served as the chair of the Finance Committee.

In 2003, Malik decided to apply his leadership skills to public service by running for election to the Rochester Board of Education. Upon winning the city-wide election, he became the youngest person ever elected to the Board. He served as Board President from 2008-2013 and has worked tirelessly to ensure that students in Rochester have access to the same opportunities that he had.

Malik has spent his career in finance, working to ensure that individuals have access to the knowledge, tools, and information that will help them build a stronger financial future.

Malik and his wife Shawanda are the proud parents of two sons. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rochester and a Master of Business Administration from Nazareth University (formerly Nazareth College).