http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/mayor/speeches/sp011807p.htm
MAYOR SHEILA DIXON'S 2007 INAUGURAL ADDRESS
January 18, 2007
Thank you.
To everything there is a season and a time under heaven.
As Baltimore enters our new season, I am humbled by the faith you have
placed in me.
I do not take lightly the oath I have sworn to uphold this afternoon.
But know that I will face each coming day of this new season in our
city with prayer, with optimism, and with hope.
The kind of hope that has seen this daughter of Baltimore, come from
humble beginnings to accept the honor of being the first woman to serve
as the Mayor of the greatest city in the world!
God is truly good.
It's a tremendous honor to take this oath in the company of so many
extraordinary Baltimoreans.
I want to thank every one of you for being here today to show your
support for this city - and for my new Administration.
To my family and my friends - Thank you for always being there.
Thank you for accepting the sacrifices and for believing in my dream of
public service.
This day is of even greater significance because of your presence.
I only wish my parents and brother were here to share this moment with
us. I miss them very much.
Governor O'Malley - I thank you for your dedicated service to our city.
I thank you for being a friend and I thank you for being a Partner in
Progress.
Your vision for a vibrant and rejuvenated Baltimore has resonated with
our citizens.
Governor of the State of Maryland, I, and the people of Baltimore want
you to know that we are proud of you and stand with you today and in
the future.
I know that you will continue to be a champion of our city.
To former Mayor D'Alesandro, thank you for being here today. I also
want to acknowledge Governor Schaefer and Mayor Schmoke - who could not
be here with us this afternoon, but both have offered invaluable advice
and counsel over my years in public service.
I also want to acknowledge the members of the Maryland General Assembly
and the many elected officials present.
And I also want to extend a heartfelt welcome to my former colleagues
on the City Council. It was my honor to serve with all of you.
As I ascend to the position of Mayor, it appears that Councilwoman
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is preparing herself to follow closely in my
footsteps as City Council President.
How appropriate that the daughter of the man who encouraged me to run
for office, the great Howard "Pete" Rawlings, will be succeeding me as
president of the council.
When Baltimore was founded in 1792, there was no guarantee that this
small town would survive. It faced enormous divisions: Divisions of
religion, divisions of race, and divisions of class.
Immigrants from across the globe, slaves and former slaves - all came
to build a city - to create a place to call home.
Those who came before us created a city where freedom was honored,
tolerance was fostered, creativity was encouraged and diversity
celebrated.
They made a city where dreams really could come true - regardless of
your race, your religion, your place of birth or your gender.
Through the generations Baltimoreans built a better world than the ones
they left behind.
And now - it's our turn.
It's our turn to renew the promise of this great city - and to leave it
better than we found it.
From the row houses of West Baltimore to the mansions of Guilford.
From the high rises of Canton to the cottages of Waverly.
From the uniqueness that is Hampden to the docks of Fells Point.
From Morrell Park to Ashburton to Dundalk to Sandtown-Winchester to Mt.
Washington.
It is now time for us to come together - One People - One Baltimore.
Many of you may think you know who Sheila Dixon is.
However, after nearly 20 years of public service, with some successes
and some failures, I want you to know that I am much more than a
newspaper headline or a sound bite on the evening news.
I am a former teacher.
I am former international trade specialist.
I am a proud parent.
I am a working mother.
I am an advocate for families and neighborhoods.
I am a dedicated public servant.
I will be a mayor who solves problems.
A mayor you can believe in.
A mayor you can be proud of.
I want to bring citizens from across the city together to start a
process of change that will help us unite around proven ideas.
It will not always be easy to find consensus.
It's easier to be against something.
It's easy to blame.
It's easy to stop.
The easiest thing in the world is to decide we are right and they are
wrong.
What's hard is to listen.
What's hard is to admit that we need to come together.
We must come together.
We need to leave behind old ideas and long-held grudges.
Today, that's exactly what I am asking you to do.
To keep our economy moving in Baltimore - we'll need to work with those
who can create high wage jobs. And we need new investments in our
infrastructure - and the revenue to pay for it.
As mayor, I will balance the interests of growth and development with
environmental and cultural concerns.
There is room for everyone at the table and all are invited to be part
of a conversation about this city's future.
We have thousands of our fellow Baltimoreans out of work - and far too
many of them are running out of hope.
Meanwhile there are those who would seek to pit business leaders
against the community, to pit planned growth and managed development
against Baltimore's rich history, its green spaces and a diverse
culture.
We have factions of the business community blaming the government, and
factions of the government blaming the business community.
Do we want to find someone to blame - or do we want to find solutions?
I say it's time to start working together to find common purpose and
common ground.
I believe that a clean city is a thriving city. I ask you today to join
with me in a renewed effort to impress upon visitors and residents
alike - we will not tolerate the continued trashing of our city,
literally and figuratively.
We want clean streets, clean allies, clean parks and clean play
grounds. A great city like Baltimore deserves no less.
We do not always need to re-create the wheel.
Government does not have all the answers.
This administration will go into every neighborhood in Baltimore; into
every community.
And we will listen to you.
The answers that we are seeking to the problems that have plagued us
are in the hearts and the minds of our citizens.
We need you - I need you - to be a part of making Baltimore a safer and
a cleaner city.
I am asking that today we put aside simplistic rhetoric and start
working towards real solutions.
I don't think for one second this is going to be easy.
I think we've grown accustomed to explaining away problems instead of
solving them.
But I don't think any of us want Baltimore to be known as the city that
knows how to make excuses.
I want to leave behind a city - for generations to come - that isn't
afraid to solve even the toughest problems.
The tough problems like homelessness.
Last month, a coalition of government, the private sector, the civic
and foundation community and the activist community came together to
pledge to end homelessness in this city by 2010.
Together, we will ensure that every man, woman and child who is
homeless, not only has a place to lay their head, but will get every
opportunity to turn their lives around and become a contributing member
of our city.
We all have a role to play in making this more than a dream, but a
reality.
I don't pretend to have all the answers. But I don't accept that there
are no solutions.
I will work today, tomorrow and every day to forge common purpose to
address the issues that have challenged us for far too long.
This job is going to be one of the biggest challenges of my life. But
I'm ready.
I'm ready to make Baltimore Safer, Greener and Cleaner.
To carry on the progress of the recent past.
To preserve the spirit of the city's history.
To execute the comprehensive master plan.
To build on academic achievements in our schools.
And to operate all city agencies effectively and efficiently.
I pledge to work with every activist, every interest group and any
individual who can present an idea that works.
I believe that if we can solve the problems of balancing growth and
moderation, ensure all people have a home or shelter and make having
clean streets a point of pride in every Baltimore neighborhood - then
we, my friends, can solve any problem!
The way to become a city that works - is to start working together.
I pledge to work every day for you to solve problems - big and small.
I won't give up until our streets are clean and green.
I will tackle the smallest pothole - and find a way to create solid
affordable house.
And we need to make sure developers address the housing needs of
working Baltimoreans - which is why I support new requirements to build
workforce housing for teachers, nurses, firefighters, sanitation
workers and the other hard working people of our city.
We'll know that we are making progress when we have found common ground
in the fight to improve our schools.
I think this city is ready to put aside political battles and present a
united front to protect our children.
Yes - we do have legitimate disagreements.
But what is more important - winning a political battle or making
progress for our children?
With so many places to find common ground - I say it is time to work
together for our children rather than against each other for the sake
of politics.
Do we want to make a point? Or do we want to make a difference? I, for
one, say it's time to make a difference.
And to make a difference - we need to make better use of all the
resources at our disposal.
I pledge today to ensure that we live within our means, to watch your
dollars and to ensure they are spent wisely, and to do everything we
can to ease your tax burden.
Everyday families and individuals in Baltimore make the tough financial
decisions of running their households. You should expect no less from
your government.
In the Dixon administration, we're not going to find excuses - we're
going to find solutions. And we're going to find the very best and
brightest people in this city and this nation to help us implement
those plans.
We're going to make sure city government serves every resident without
regard to whom they are or who they know.
I want to say this loudly and clearly - if you work for the city of
Baltimore - you work for everyone.Not the lobbyists, or the rich and
powerful, but everyone.
Our generation of Baltimoreans has inherited a great legacy, and great
challenges.
I think that if we work together - there will be no challenge too great
to overcome.
Homelessness, affordable housing, high wage jobs, safe and stable
neighborhoods, clean streets, promoting arts and culture, excellent
schools, excellent parks and playgrounds, a clean environment and a
cleaner city government.
We know the challenges. What we have yet to demonstrate as a generation
of leaders is the ability to put aside party, and partisanship, and
petty differences to find common purpose.
I have the privilege of serving this city as mayor when she is at one
of the strongest and most vibrant positions we've seen in generations.
But we did not come to this place by chance.
My mother and countless generations before her set a standard - and an
example. Generations of Baltimoreans came together - and gave us the
world's greatest city.
In a world filled with so much uncertainty. Terrorism, civil strife,
cultural wars and growing intolerance - all of which have the potential
to shake our nation and our city at its core.
One thing remains certain. With shared values, with faith and with
unconditional love and respect - we can overcome anything - together.
So now, Baltimore, it's our turn.
Our turn to show that we can continue to restore this city.
Our turn to show that we can extend freedom, tolerance and respect to
every Baltimorean.
Our turn to show that we can put aside our differences.
If we can do that - then our generation will have done our part to
preserve and enhance this special place we call Baltimore.
I think we're ready for the job.
I know I'm ready to get to work.
And I'm ready to work with everyone.
In recognition of this historic moment, for both the City of Baltimore
and me, I'd like to close with these words from the famous educator and
founder of the National Council of Negro Women, Mary McLeod Bethune.
"Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it,
nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible."
Thank you all for being here.
And may God continue to bless the great city of Baltimore.
Revised: January 20, 2007