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It was an exciting time. We were very optimistic, but
almost overwhelmed at the mammoth task before us. Where to begin? I believed that we had
to first raise people's hopes. We held the inaugural ceremony at the convention center,
and for the first time ever, opened it to the public. Over 6,000 people came. The people
of New Orleans may share many differences of opinions and culture, but one thing we are
unequivocal about is our love for this city. With a new council and new administration, we
were poised for serious and exciting changes. -Marc H. Morial Inaugural Address Distinguished clergy, Governor Edwards, Mayor Barthelemy, honored guests, my friends on the City Council, ladies and gentlemen, fellow New Orleanians: The torch of leadership has been passed tonight to a new generation of New Orleanians - a generation born during the baby boom of the 1950s, enlightened by the experiences of the 1960s and 70s, toughened by the hard economic times of the 1980s, and energized by the hopes of the 1990s, into the 21st century. I come to this moment humbled by the greatness of this occasion, but eager to succeed and ready to begin. I come to this office filled with energy. I am surrounded by outstanding colleagues, friends and family. And I am enthusiastic and determined that my administration will make a difference for our city, our state and our nation. The job of mayor is a great and difficult challenge. Our city has been led by a noble New Orleanian for the past eight years. He has worked hard and done his best to guide our city through these challenging times. Please join me in expressing our appreciation to Mayor Sidney Barthelemy for his hard work these past eight years. Thank you. Now, we look only on one direction, and that is to the future. This evening, let me share with you a vision of a great city, a new city, a safe city; our city. In times past, this city has been led by great mayors - Behrman, Morrison, Landrieu and my late father, Dutch Morial. As we look to the future, we must make New Orleans a city where every street is safe, where the economy is diversified and grows every year, where any person who wants to can work, where schools are safe and every child gets a quality education and where gaming is a highly-regulated economic catalyst, one of many, for our tourism industry; a city where new trade and banking opportunities with Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe are realized; and a city whose people's respect for one another is enhanced by the efforts of an enthusiastic team in both government and the private sector. We say to the drug pushers, the gun-toting hoodlums, the thugs who prey on helpless citizens, there's a new sheriff in town, and we're going to run you out of New Orleans. That's right, we're going to run you out for good! When we go to Baton Rouge, my goal is to create a stronger-than-ever coalition of Louisiana cities, to generate new ideas for state initiatives that help us deal with the challenges of crime, drugs, education, housing and economic development. We say that as our city goes, so goes our state. And as our state goes, so goes our city. New Orleans is the greatest city in a great state. The city and state are partners forever, linked by geography and economics. Let us work together to benefit the whole. When we go to Washington, D.C., our goal for New Orleans will be to lead in the development of new urban policies that provide cities the flexibility and the funding we need to start cleaning up some of the thousands of abandoned housing units in our community, rescuing the 50 percent of our children born into poverty and restoring the over 100 playgrounds in our city. I want every child in this city, whether they live in Lakeview or Bakerstown, in Hollygrove or Gert Town, in Fisher or Desire, to have an opportunity to participate in a wholesome recreation program in this community. I recently met with President Bill Clinton, and I can say he is the best hope that America's cities have. He is the best hope for we who know that our cities are America's crown jewels. This is a time of challenges and choices. We have choices to make. Can we rebuild our neighborhoods, revitalize our riverfront and our downtown business district, while preserving our historic buildings? Can we say that St. Claude Avenue and St. Bernard Avenue are equally as important as St. Charles Avenue? How will we spend our limited resources? Can we come together in new coalitions that care only for the pursuit of a better life and care nothing for the racial class and gender barriers of the past? Can we understand that we are in this struggle together - that no neighborhood can truly be safe until all neighborhoods are safe? If anyone is without opportunity, we are all without opportunity. Do we have the shared will to make our streets safe, to recognize that in some instances, one strike is enough to take you out of the ball game if you violate our laws? Can we grasp the fact that our common goals are more important than any differences that we may have? I take special pride this evening in our choice to make this occasion even more historic. This is the first inaugural ever held in the evening and indoors. We are holding it in the evening to give all the people of New Orleans an opportunity to attend this ceremony. We are holding it in the Morial Convention Center because for me, this building symbolizes our forward thrust into the 21st century. This building also holds special meaning for me, for my mother, Sybil Morial, and for my brother and three sisters and my daughter. I also want to take this opportunity to say a few words about our new City Council. Five members of the council are new, while two are veterans. As I am a rookie mayor, we have the potential for a perfect mix. We will work closely with the council. We will not all agree all the time. But we will treat all with dignity and respect. Our door is open. My heart and mind are open. There are no sacred cows. Of course, I have strongly-held views, and I do not hesitate to express them. But I want an atmosphere where we can disagree on issues without becoming disagreeable. The voters of New Orleans have made it clear to all of us they are weary of petty bickering which adds nothing and reduces the quality of public debate. It is part of our mandate to treat one another with respect. I will do my part and will try my very best to set a good example. You are aware that we have formed a coalition to clean up City Hall. With the welcome assistance of Civil Sheriff Paul Valteau, Criminal Sheriff Charles Foti and hundreds of volunteers, we will restore both the looks and the cleanliness of City Hall. This is a special effort outside of the city budget, and it reflects the energy and innovative thinking we will bring to city government. We think it demeans citizens to come to a dirty City Hall to conduct their business, and it demeans the city employees who work there. Our goal is to restore City Hall as a clean, prideful place where those public servants are proud to be at 1300 Perdido Street. Earlier today, we held the First Children's Inaugural at the Louisiana Superdome. More than 30,000 attended. It is my goal to reach out to young people. Our children deserve more than lip service. They deserve action. That is why we will restore the New Orleans Recreation Department to its past glory. That is why we will develop a partnership with public schools. As my mother will tell you, I was her "NORD baby". As a youngster, I ran home from school, put up my books and went out to play on the Pontchartrain Park Playground run by NORD. I played football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer. I still recall the pride I felt when my team won or when I was a 12-year-old All-City basketball player. It was on the playgrounds that I learned that no one wins all the time and that you can enjoy a shared respect with those against whom you compete. I want others to have the same opportunities for wholesome recreation that I enjoyed at Pontchartrain Park Playground. I will not be satisfied unless those opportunities are available to everyone. This is everybody's city - black, white, young, old, rich, poor, Hispanic, Asian, gay and straight; Uptown, Downtown, Eastbank, Westbank. It is our city to be shared equally by all. On behalf of my generation, I want to tell all the mothers who have urged us on, "we will not fail, we will not rest, we will not despair and we will not stop." Thank you for being part of this wonderful night, a night that the historians will mark as the day when a great old city rededicated itself to its greatness. God bless you, God bless you. I love you and I love New Orleans. Thank you very much. |
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