Good Evening, I speak to you tonight, my fellow Atlantans, with mixed feelings of humility and pride, but most of all with a renewed sense of confidence to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
There could be no greater reward for me than the vote of confidence that you’ve given me on this Election day. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the people who voted for me and to those who worked so long and so hard to bring our message to the voters.
The result of the election was an expression of faith in my singular focus to serve the public interest, the greater good. Tonight, I promise to return the favor to the people of this great city by pledging to give my best effort and absolute dedication to continuing to make this city what it was destined to be--a model of hope and opportunity for [the state and this nation to see].
But before we look forward, let's take a minute to look back. Lets take a minute to see how far we’ve come from the night four years ago when we were celebrating our first election victory together in this very hotel.
In the past four years, we have restored financial accountability to a city that was mired in millions of dollars of debt. We have started the overhaul of our aging water and sewer system, turning what was once a ticking time bomb into an asset that ensures we will have clean water for generations to come. And we have invested in our most valuable resource, our children, by establishing programs such as “Next Step… The Atlanta Promise” to help high school seniors prepare for life after high school.
In the past four years, we have improved our citizens’ economic opportunities and way of life by creating jobs and making our neighborhoods safer places to live. We’ve implemented a living wage for Atlanta city employees and we’ve cut crime to its lowest level in decades. Simply put, we are building a city that is a nurturing place for Atlanta’s children, a welcoming place for the City’s visitors, and a safe place for us to call home.
But our job is far from done. We must put an end to chronic homelessness. This is why I requested that the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta form a commission to address the issue of homelessness in the city. That commission, the Regional Commission on Homelessness, developed the Blueprint to End Hopelessness in Atlanta in Ten Years, and a key part of that blueprint is the 24/7 Gateway Homeless Services Center.
The center will give homeless men, women and children a safe place to connect them with the services and housing they need to become self-reliant—from mental health and drug treatment services, to job readiness, training and placement. Since opening in July, more than 1000 men, women and children have found assistance at the center. This is the sort of innovative program that we will continue to embrace in order to face, and to conquer, this city’s toughest problems.
We must continue to take other steps to ensure that the promise of Atlanta is available to all who seek it and are willing to work for it. We must build more affordable housing. This is one of the reasons that I’m so excited about the Beltline – it will give us thousands of new housing units priced for people who work in Atlanta. Having more and better affordable housing will ease the pressure on people who work hard every day and deserve an opportunity to remain a part of this unique City. We must improve both availability and affordability of housing, and tonight I want to make it clear, I am committed to both.
We can improve our city with our investment in the walkability of the city parks, recreation and the arts.
In the next four (4) years, we will continue to improve our quality of life. We must support investment in economic development to bring quality, high-paying jobs. And we must invest in business retention and growth. We must continue to transform our public schools, to innovate and encourage achievement in the Atlanta Public Schools. And we must continue to reduce crime rates to the lowest levels they have ever been.
We are getting there Atlanta, but remember, we have more work to do together. We are moving confidently and purposefully towards our destiny as a shining city on the hill and there is no stopping us now.
Atlanta is moving towards a future that is brighter, and brighter and brighter.
Thank you to you all.