In her final State of the City address, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake asserted that “the state of our city is stronger today than when I became mayor.”

Rawlings-Blake said that when she took office in 2010 after Sheila Dixon was found guilty of using gift cards meant for the poor, “I made a promise to myself. . . that I would leave this city in better condition” than it was left for her.

“As I look back on my six years as the mayor of this great city, I take great pride in what we have accomplished,” she said. “Through new ideas and innovative initiatives, we have relentlessly sought to create a government that is more efficient, more transparent and more responsive.”

Without mentioning the name of Freddie Gray, Rawlings-Blake conceded that Baltimore had a “challenging year” in 2015, characterized by “heart wrenching moments” of unrest following Gray’s in-custody death.

“No words can truly capture the range of emotions we experienced together as our city endured the traumatic events of last spring,” the mayor said. “And the surge in violence that followed tested our resolve even further.”

In Our Hearts, all One Baltimore

She went on to say that since a curfew was imposed and the unrest was quelled, the city has been healing under her leadership.

“As I think back over the events of this past year,” she said, “I am most proud of the resilience we have shown the world – our commitment to come back, stronger than ever, as one community, one city. Because in our hearts, we know that we are all One Baltimore.”

The tradition of delivering an annual State of the City address was started by former Mayor Martin O’Malley as a local equivalent of the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.

The 40-minute address was a swansong of sorts for Rawlings-Blake, who is not seeking re-election and will leave office when her term expires in December.

Even though she has more than nine months left in office, Rawlings-Blake referred to today’s event as “one of my final occasions to appear before you all as your mayor.”

She has not announced what she plans to do next.

A Hipster Hangout

Speaking in the City Council Chamber to other elected officials, agency heads and guests, she used much of her speech to list what she considers her accomplishments in office.

The subtitles of her speech included “Making Baltimore Safer,” “Implementing Police Reform,” “A Cleaner City,” “Eliminating Blight,” “Leveraging Our Strengths,” “Enhancing Access to Food,” “Creating Jobs,” “A Healthier City,” “Modernizing Government,” “Restoring Public Trust,” “Making Tough Choices,” “Investing in Our Youth” and “Growing Our City.”

The mayor boasted that Baltimore is becoming “more green and sustainable,” while musicians, artists and foodies are making it “a hip place to be.”

In her list of accomplishments she also included the municipal trash can rollout that begins tomorrow, the grocery store she said she brought to Howard Park, expansion of the Charm City Circulator, and the much-delayed Bike Share program (scheduled to start in the fall).

The mayor’s speech was interrupted by applause more than a dozen times.

At the end, she thanked her husband, her mother, her friends and her family “and everything you do” during her years as a City Council member, City Council president and mayor.

“I want to close by thanking the citizens of Baltimore for affording me the opportunity to serve you for 21 years,” she said. “It has been the greatest honor of my life.”