DETROIT (AP) – A reduction in the most violent of crimes, lower unemployment, an ambitious plan to eradicate vacant houses and lopping $180 million off the budget deficit are some reasons for optimism in Detroit, Mayor Dave Bing said in his State of the City address.

Click on the video player to watch the mayor’s speech in its entirety.

With Gov. Rick Snyder among the many elected leaders, business officials and residents on hand, Bing chose in his second address as mayor to focus on Detroit’s accomplishments in his less than two years in City Hall.

But the former steel supply company founder and professional basketball Hall-of-Famer tempered the successes with warnings that the rustbelt city still has a long way to go.

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