New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson addressed the city at the eighth annual State of the City Address, touting the accomplishments of the city and looking to what lies ahead.

“No one arrives in a time machine to lobby about tomorrow,” said Bramson Thursday night at the State of the City address at the Davenport Club in New Rochelle.

“The mayor’s speech was short, sweet and to the point addressing the various issues and situations affecting New Rochelle,” said Iona College student Timothy Montalvo. “The mayor is a great speaker who delivered his speech with precision, and I felt he connected with the crowd.”

Bramson opened up his speech by stating that New Rochelle’s financial reserves have doubled this year, but noted that the city has experienced tough times, as did the entire country in recent years. “If we want an affordable life, we need to shift our expectations; we can have a healthier city if we work together,” he said.

Bramsom, who is also seeking the Democratic Party nomination for Westchester County Executive, also talked about how he fully supports New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and wants to work to stabilize pensions.

The mayor also talked about environmental changes and measures New Rochelle is taking in the upcoming months. “We have dozens of citizen volunteers to work together to create a cleaner New Rochelle,” he said. He also talked about cutting energy use and better management of waste.

“I am so happy that our student leaders volunteered to attend the State of the City address to learn more about the city they live in,” said Michele Nelson, Director of Off-Campus Housing. “I hope they’ll bring what they learned from the mayor’s address and share it with their constituents and friends.”

One of the major points in his speech was the construction of the Waterfront at Echo Bay. The Echo Bay Project would essentially become a mega-complex filled with luxury apartments, retail stores, hotels, condominiums and a community center.

The mayor stated that this would be great for the community and explained that New Rochelle will receive about $1.5 million in state funding.

Unfortunately, the night wasn’t all smiles and fun.

Those driving into the country club’s parking lot were greeted by dozens of New Rochelle police officers holding up signs that said “Police shortages equals unsafe streets” and “High Expectations + Low Pay = Badge Drain.”

The New Rochelle Police Department was there to show its concern with manpower issues and continued cuts to the department’s budget.

“It’s very taxing on us,” said Ray Andolina, president of the New Rochelle Police Association.

Andolina explained that now there are only 151 positions for officers compared to 189 in 2010. That loss of about 20 percent of their workforce leaves the police department struggling to keep the city of New Rochelle safe.

Iona sent a small group of students along with a few faculty members to the event to get a better understanding of what is happening in the city in which they learn and work.

Although Bramson didn’t talk much about Iona College, he said, “Iona, along with the other schools in New Rochelle, is a vital part of our community and I wish them nothing but the best.”