Last night, I officially began my term as your new Mayor.
I and my fellow councilmembers Burkman, Harris and Stewart were sworn in, and as a council we selected Larry Smith as Mayor Pro Tem.
We're beginning a new chapter in Vancouver's history, in the midst of great optimism mixed with great anxiety. Our community faces numerous and critical challenges, but we have weathered storms like this before and we will persevere.
The new year brings with it a renewed sense of faith, a conviction in our collective ability to succeed, and a celebration of new beginnings.
I am both humbled by the enormity of the task at hand, and honored to be selected by our citizens to lead the City Council and our community. Your City Council is composed of fellow citizens, compassionate and dutiful individuals who understand that the people's perspective is best represented with respectful, candid, and constructive discourse.
As Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."
I am pleased to be working with these colleagues as we face very serious decisions about the direction of our community.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and doing that work with each and every one of you.
