Mayor Ed Gainey delivered his final budget address Monday morning, reflecting on his four years in office while warning of looming financial challenges as the city faces shrinking revenues and rising costs.

Walking into a packed city council chambers to chants of his name, Mr. Gainey’s speech felt at times more like a rally than a formal address.

“Today I'm proud to say as I’m prepared to leave office, I leave our city in a stronger position,” Mr. Gainey said. “Even as we have challenging times ahead, we built a government guided not by outside interests but by the steadfast belief that what is best for the people of our city must always come first.”

The speech, attended by past and current members of his administration and former campaign staff, doubled as a budget address and farewe

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