DENVER, CO — Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 — Mayor Guillermo (Bill) V. Vidal today delivered his Inaugural address in the atrium of the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building.
Here is the text of the speech as prepared:
Thank you Governor Hickenlooper, President Nevitt and members of City Council, Secretary Peña, Mayor Webb and Mayors from around the metropolitan area, elected officials and distinguished guests. For that matter, all of you are distinguished guests—you honor me with your presence.
I always wondered why we need a ceremony like this, but Mayors from all around the region told me that this is an important event. They said that I must first be sworn in before I can be sworn at.
With my mom here, I simply want to say this to all of you. I have written a memoir called Boxing for Cuba, which chronicles my immigration story into the United States . At times, this story offers an unvarnished and unflattering account of the events and of the people in my life, including my parents. In spite of all of our difficulties, I know that my parents gave up everything to make a better life for my brothers and me. Their sacrifice will probably be the greatest act of love I will ever experience. Given the situation they faced, I am proud of them and I am grateful.
To my brothers: Forty-nine years ago, we arrived unaccompanied to Sacred Heart Orphanage in Pueblo , Colorado . In those early and violent days, we often wondered if we would survive the place. I thank you for the many years when we only had each other’s help, love and loyalty to overcome so much adversity. I am here today because of you.
When I was growing up in an orphanage, I learned not to cry—you could get beat up worse. With the risk of being skewered like John Boehner on Saturday Night Live, I’ll admit that lately—I cry at beer commercials!
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As I have gotten older, I have grown accustomed to the unpredictability of life and its unevenness in dishing out change that shakes us out of our comfort zone like an earthquake. This is one of those moments in my life, as voters saw fit to launch my friend John Hickenlooper into the Governorship of our wonderful state. In the wake of John’s historic trek across our Civic Center , I am called to leave my beloved post as Manager of Public Works.
I affirm to all who are here today that I willingly and enthusiastically step into the role of Mayor. I am honored to have this opportunity, and I am ready to take on these responsibilities. It has been a privilege for me to work side by side with such great employees, and I want to single out two of them.
First, I thank you, John, for beating me into submission to come work for you. It has been a great gift in my life.
I also want to congratulate my friend George Delaney, who will take over my position at Public Works. George, let me give you a first bit of advice: Remember, in Public Works, hell is not red, fiery and hot—it’s cold, icy and white!
I will state however, that there is a slight difference between John’s experience as Mayor and mine. Yesterday John woke up Mayor of Denver and went to bed that night Governor of Colorado. For me the experience will be a little different. My term will end on July 18, which so happens to be the day before my 60th birthday. What this means to me is that, I will wake up as Mayor of Denver but I will go to bed 60 years old and unemployed.
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I stand in front of you today as a Cuban immigrant whose life—if for only a brief moment—has become directly intertwined with our city’s destiny. Like other immigrants, both legal and illegal, I came to this country in search of a better life. Fortunately, a generous nation opened its doors and arms and took me in at the time of my arrival.
My wife Gabriela, a 30-year public servant, is also an immigrant. Gaby and I are living proof of the greatness of this country, in that people like us can succeed. We are also evidence that immigrants, if given the chance, can contribute to the success of America . There are many more Bill Vidals and Gabriela Cornejos out there ready to make a contribution—all they need is a chance.
For these reasons, I implore all of us, whether it is in supporting the DREAM Act or similar legislation, let us work to find a comprehensive immigration solution that resolves the financial and legal concerns, but does so in a humane manner. We are a great country and I know we have it in us to solve this problem in a way that will shine a light to the rest of the world.
By the way, we are both engineers – imagine how unnecessarily detailed our dinner table conversations are.
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I have never aspired to be Mayor. Having been a member of the Mayor’s Cabinet for the last 7 years, I am acutely aware that it will take every fiber of my being to meet head-on the demands and trials that come with this responsibility.
However, I want you to know that I am not afraid to carry this load, for I have the love of a supportive family, great partners in our City Council, a wonderful community of involved citizens and I have you, my fellow city employees, to help me.
I believe that hope is a dream—a dream that we have when we are awake that motivates us to create a better world than what we inherited. Every time you save a child, help the poor and the homeless, pave a street, run a recreation center, protect an animal, prevent a crime, preserve a life, and serve our citizens in the myriad ways that you do, you fulfill my dream that we are building a greater city. I am so proud to be a part of you.
I have worked as a public servant for nearly 35 years, and I learned my trade from great mentors who believed that public officials must represent all of our citizens. Today, if you remember nothing else, I hope you’ll remember my commitment that, as Mayor, I will stand together with you to represent everyone—particularly those who are the most vulnerable—the poor, the homeless, the elderly, the disabled, the jobless, and most of all our children and their children who aren’t yet born. Today we stand together to build a greater tomorrow.
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As we all know, this difficult economy has left more of our citizens vulnerable than at any other time since the Great Depression. Every day, I hear another story of someone who lost their job or of a company that is struggling to remain afloat. For many, dreams and aspirations have given way to desperation and uncertainty. To combat this, we must remain steadfast in our efforts to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
We have the chance to do this between now and July by advancing the numerous design and construction projects that are in the City’s pipeline. There are several road and sewer projects, a new Westside Library, a new Lowry Fire Station, a new Police Crime Lab, and an expansion at Denver International Airport to name a few. As we start to build these much-needed facilities, not only will we enhance our city, we will create thousands of new jobs today. Perhaps our efforts will even reinvigorate private investment in our city.
Still we cannot concentrate on the large projects alone. As the economy improves, homeowners will be looking to remodel or expand their homes. Their projects, no matter how small, can create a job for someone.
Every project, every contract, every development, every permit counts when it comes to helping create jobs. I ask every employee, whether you are a contract administrator, project manager, regulator, inspector, purchasing agent or in any in other role to envision yourselves beyond your job responsibilities and become a facilitator of job creation in our community. Your timely service can make a mighty difference in someone’s life.
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Getting through these difficult economic times also calls for our City Government to live within its means. We are fortunate to be entering 2011 with a balanced budget, but 2012 may prove to be as just challenging. I want to engage our employees, City Council and our citizens to begin tackling the 2012 budget now—much earlier than usual—and over the coming months help us identify strategies that will balance our budget and reduce the oncoming deficit.
Furthermore, we must engage now in an effort to assure the city’s future economic health. I am asking business and community leaders to engage in an 18-month process to examine the financial structure of the City’s operation and recommend changes to assure the essential level of government for our future and our children’s future. This work cannot begin soon enough.
What is important about the work we will do to improve our City’s future in the coming months is how we’ll go about it—with an eye toward regional cooperation and to creating a more sustainable community. These go hand-in-hand with fixing our financial issues. I realize that long-term goals of reducing our carbon footprint, or energy independence, will not be achieved by this coming July. But, we can take steps today to continue on the path outlined in our Greenprint Denver Plan to create a cleaner and more efficient city for our descendants.
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Furthermore, continuing to build a regional multi-modal transportation system with our neighboring communities is a critical element in securing a more sustainable future. Denver ’s vision relies greatly on the build-out of FasTracks and the regional partnerships that have made us a national model for cooperative leadership. Like Governor Hickenlooper before me, and my friend Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy, I pledge to continue to be a strong and collaborative regional partner. Let us all commit together to work closely with the Regional Transportation District to finish what we started in 2005.
In addition to growing the B-Cycle program that we launched so successfully in 2009, we will also have the opportunity to enhance our facilities for pedestrian and bicycle travel as a part of a robust transportation network. This month we are going to roll out a new initiative that will establish a better-connected bicycle network in Denver that links neighborhoods, transit hubs, parks, employment centers, business districts, and other destinations across the city.
We caught a glimpse of this during the Democratic National Convention when our City was alive with energy—people were walking and bicycling everywhere and loving it. I submit to you that our quest for sustainability can be a renaissance for our community and lead to new business opportunities and jobs.
Sustainability is very much about livability, and by creating a greener city we serve citizens of all ages. I’ve talked a lot about the city we leave for our children, but we must also keep in mind our elderly population.
I knew that I was a part of this age category when my young grandson began running around calling me Grandpa—so I do speak from a base of knowledge!
Our city will continue to face growing challenges in this area as baby boomers are beginning to reach the age of sixty-five. We know from the work we have done that older Denverites want to preserve their ability to live in their current homes and in their neighborhoods. We will continue to implement the programs and services that will improve elders’ access to transportation , health and support services, affordable housing as well as offer opportunities for human interaction.
I believe that Denver can be at the forefront of American cities creating sustainable, livable communities for people of all ages and abilities.
As we navigate through challenging financial times, we cannot forget our underprivileged and homeless citizens. It is vital that we continue to invest in Denver ’s Road Home.
Additionally, we will continue to take every opportunity to improve struggling neighborhoods by paving alleys, preventing graffiti, creating vibrant public spaces, and encouraging and facilitating commercial development. I know we can do better for these areas of Denver .
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Ever since it became clear that I would be the next Mayor, overwhelmingly the questions I have been asked have been about our Department of Safety, so I feel compelled to share with you my thoughts.
For the past seven years, I have been privileged to work alongside employees of this department. Together we trained for a year and a half to ensure a successful DNC—and we delivered it. Similarly, we have worked together on other special events. We built a new court house and detention center with an unshakeable dedication to building a facility that would offer the most humane treatment possible for those incarcerated. On another occasion, we searched tirelessly through millions of tons of garbage at the landfill for a murder victim with the hope of bringing closure to a grieving family.
Having been in the trenches with them, I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of our uniformed safety personnel are great public servants who deserve our respect and gratitude for their service to our citizens.
Unfortunately, recent events have clouded this reputation and, in spite of all of the great safeguards we have in place to assure the righteous actions of our Safety Department, it will take every one of us to build and strengthen it. I understand how difficult your jobs are, and I know it is hurtful to be judged by the actions of a few. Nevertheless, today I ask our officers and deputies to remember the days when you graduated from the academy.
Remember the pride and honor you felt in being selected for such an important role in our community. Remember how you looked at the challenges in front of you with the belief that you would make a difference. With this in mind, I implore you to continue to serve our citizens with the same optimism and dedication, knowing that the actions you take make a difference in their lives, and to act in a manner that you would be proud of, no matter who is watching.
Gaby and I left our mother countries because their citizens lived in fear of their governments and of people in uniform, so I come into being Mayor of Denver with first hand knowledge of the kind of community I would never want to be a part of. Thankfully, it is not that way here. Believe me, I know what it is like when your government rules by force. We are blessed that this is America , after all, more importantly, this is Denver , Colorado . The events of the past two days—when we transferred power so peacefully—prove the greatness of our system of democracy. As citizens we rightfully expect the actions of our uniformed officers to make us feel safe—not afraid.
I pledge to you that we will continue to work together to help citizens see in our officers and deputies the same truth that I have seen over the years—their genuine dedication to ensuring the safety of our community.
I love Denver . I have traveled a long distance from my hometown of Camaguey , Cuba , but I found my true home. My loved ones are here, my traditions are focused around this City, my best memories are founded on this soil and most importantly my roots are planted here and they nourish my heart and soul. It has been a privilege to serve the community I so deeply love for all these years.
I assume the position of Mayor confident that my fellow City employees and Denver citizens all love this city as I do, and will work with me to continue to build today for a greater tomorrow. 2011 holds significant promise. We were recently named one of the top 10 places to visit in the US . As a city, we’ve invested in tourism and we will attract tens of thousands of visitors in the next six months alone to events like Big Air, which will happen later this month in Civic Center Park .
Let’s all help the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit our city understand what those of us who get to live here all year know—that we are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and we are committed to safeguarding our City and our way of life.
As I end my remarks, I know that our citizens’ attention will soon turn to the upcoming political races this spring. While this may be a time of transition, it must not keep us from our duty. Now, more than ever, our citizens must know that they can rely on our leadership, integrity, commitment and steady hand to provide them with the services and benefits they need and deserve. We will not forget for one instant that our city is counting on us. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me and for the work we will do together today to build a great future for Denver .
Le pido a dios que nos bendiga a todos, a nuestro pais y a nuestro estado. I ask for God’s blessing upon all of us, our country and our state. But most importantly, I ask for his blessing upon Denver , the place we call home.
