State of the City (Cambridge MA) Address 2009

Mayor Denise Simmons' delivers state of the city address
Thu Mar 26, 2009, 12:55 PM EDT
Cambridge Chronicle


- The full text of Mayor Denise Simmons' state of the city address, delivered Wednesday night:

Good evening! Thank you all for coming to City Hall for tonight’s State of the City address. One year ago, I stood before you and delivered my inaugural address as the new legislative leader of Cambridge. On that night, I told you about how proud I’ve been to live my entire life in Cambridge, a city that has cultivated a reputation as a national hub of education, tolerance, and inclusion. I pointed to the greatness of living in a city where a person is judged upon their merits, and not upon aesthetics like one’s skin color, one’s gender, or one’s orientation. There was a time when being an openly-lesbian person of color would have precluded one from winning elective office, or from even running for elective office; indeed, there are still many areas in the country where this is true. As my own story proves, though, Cambridge is not one of those places, and we are proud to serve as a beacon of enlightenment and illumination to our countrymen. Since the night of that inaugural address, we have had an eventful year; we all watched excitedly as the presidential season unfolded, we struggled with the worsening economy, we debated about the different paths that our City might take moving forward, and we welcomed a new colleague to the City Council. Every day has brought with it new challenges and opportunities for our city, and I have felt so privileged to serve as your Mayor throughout it all. As we stand at the mid-point of my administration, the hard work and challenges are only just beginning.

Before going any further, I would like to acknowledge two changes in the City Council: with our friend and colleague, Brian Murphy, having left for a new role with the Commonwealth, we welcome our new friend and colleague, Councilor Larry Ward. I am also very pleased that Councilor Seidel has taken on the role of Vice Mayor – thank you, Councilor Seidel. And in addition to thanking the rest of my colleagues on the City Council for their presence this evening, there are also several local officials I’d like to recognize:

Tonight, I wish to touch upon some of what we have accomplished over the past twelve months, and on what we hope to accomplish in the year ahead. We shall be facing many challenges in 2009, a year that has already been marred by one of the greatest recessions in decades. While there are no easy answers on how to best survive this downturn, we can take comfort in knowing that Cambridge has many strengths to draw upon. We remain an international hub of the biotech sector; we are home to two of the most renowned educational institutions in the world; we have excellent stewards guiding our city’s finances. And perhaps most important, we are a community full of resilient people. I have every confidence that we shall weather this storm. But in order to do so, we are going to need to pull together as a community, to lean on each other, and to be charitable towards one another.

TIGHTENING THE BELT

A sense of stability and prosperity will ultimately return – but until that time, we have our work cut out for us. The ripple effects of the downturn impact everyone, to one extent or another, and these trying times may demand some difficult decisions from us all. The municipal government, the schools, the local businesses, and the households of Cambridge are all going to have to do some strategic belt-tightening in the months ahead. We’re all going to have to get creative in finding ways to pair down our budgets. For households, it may mean more carpooling, being vigilant about spending only on the bare necessities, or keeping the air conditioners off this summer. For businesses, it may mean freezing wages, cutting bonuses and overtime, and scaling back hours of operation. And for City Hall, it has meant taking measures like shutting down all of the City’s computers at the end of each work day, which can save upwards of $350,000 in electricity cost per year. It has also meant rolling back on the size and scope – if not the spirit – of various celebrations such as Italian Heritage Month, the Senior Picnics, and St. Patrick’s Day. My office has also scaled back the amount we spend on the various receptions we host, and these moves alone have collectively saved us tens of thousands of dollars. My office shall continue seeking areas where we can lower our costs, recognizing that if we are to preach fiscal discipline to our constituents, we must practice it ourselves, as well.

FISCAL HEALTH OF THE CITY

For all the economic turbulence, Cambridge remains in healthy fiscal shape – especially when compared to other cities across the state and the nation. In 2008, Cambridge was one of only twenty cities in the country to earn a prestigious “Triple A” rating by the nation's three major credit rating agencies. This is because our excellent financial stewards continued to engage in sound fiscal practices and the prudent use of our funds. In a time when many cities and towns in Massachusetts are struggling with administrative cuts and disruptions of service, and they have been forced to lay off police officers and firefighters, Cambridge has been able to preserve our current level of essential services.

However, we do face some harsh realities. Just last month, Governor Patrick reduced our financial aid by $2.6 million; while this is only ten percent less than we had expected from the State, and while this is only a fraction of our $434 million dollar budget, the impact is real. Scores of City vacancies must now remain unfilled for the time being, and we expect a further reduction – of approximately $6.6 million – from the Commonwealth for Fiscal Year 2010. That loss is going to have to be absorbed somewhere, and our financial team is working hard to soften the blow. The City Manager also reports the following:

During the last 12 months, Cambridge saw an increase in the amount of revenue raised through property taxes, and an increase in our free cash. Our actual revenues for the City exceeded our projections, and we also saw increased total assessed values. Along with our Triple A credit rating, these strong financial indicators provide the City with enormous fiscal flexibility and stability.

These factors are important as we navigate through the difficult economic times. We are going to need to continue expanding non-property tax revenue. We need to encourage expansion of the tax base, to exercise restraint on expenditures, and to use our reserve funds wisely. We are not insulated from current economic realities, but we have positioned ourselves well to respond to these challenges.

When we prepare the FY10 Budget process, the following issues must be recognized and factored into our calculations:

1. The depth and scope of the current economic downturn suggests that we may not see a significant improvement until calendar year 2010. It also appears that the economy will get worse before we are able to turn the corner.

2. Unemployment rates, which continue to increase, will invariably impact the revenue and cash flow generated by our property owners, residents, and those who would pump money into the local economy.

3. Two of our major employers & taxpayers, Harvard and MIT, are projecting budget and construction cut-backs, which shall continue to have ripple effects on our economy.

4. We expect a further reduction in State aid next year – likely $4 – $8 million below what we received this year. We shall also see a reduction of revenue from the hotel/motel tax, excise tax, building permit fees, and water & sewer service fees.

5. It is unlikely that we will be able to replenish the entire $17 million used in Free Cash in FY09, as we were able to do in previous fiscal years, due to the economic downturn.

Based on the above dynamics, we cannot assume that we can develop a FY10 Budget that can absorb state aid reductions, flat non-property tax growth, operating and debt cost increases without SOME offsetting operating, capital, and position reductions.

OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & JOBS PROGRAMS

I speak for the entire City when I thank Mr. Healy, Louie DePasquale, David Kale, and the entire Financial Team for expertly guiding Cambridge through this economic downturn. Their diligence and expertise has ensured that we can continue the flow of government services, in spite of the inhospitable financial climate.

As difficult as it is for the City government to navigate these choppy waters, it is perhaps even more so for the individual families and residents. President Truman once said, “It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose your own.” And my office has been seeing too many people experiencing that depression. We are regularly visited by people on the cusp of unemployment, or who are already unemployed. You can see the stress and the strain in their eyes, as these folks wonder how they’re going to feed their children, how they’re going to afford their medications, and how they’re going to afford their rent. More often than not, we will refer these people to our Office of Workforce Development. With services such as the Cambridge Employment Program, the dedicated staff at the OWD seeks to match over 350 active job seekers with local businesses every year. As you can imagine, the number of job seekers has increased in 2008, and this task has become significantly more daunting in light of the hiring freezes and layoffs in many companies.

GREEN JOBS TASK FORCE

One of the critical goals before us is to help thaw that hiring freeze – and to identify where the jobs of tomorrow are going to come from. That is the reason why, last year, I pushed for the launch the Green Jobs Task Force. “Green collar” jobs are defined as “family supporting, middle-skill jobs that contribute significantly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality,” and they can be integrated into already existing industries. We have seen studies suggesting that the Green Economy is a $341 billion dollar industry which shall create 5.3 million jobs nationwide, and we are working to ensure that many of those new jobs are created here. Our task force contains a cross section of city employees, environmental experts, business leaders, and interested citizens, and it is charged with developing a policy that will link training and employment to emerging jobs in the green economy.

Since we want to ensure that no one is left out of the jobs created in this field, I have also helped launch the Urban Mass Green Alliance. The Alliance is dedicated to educating minority communities about the benefits of the green economy, and to helping minorities get in on the ground floor of the new career paths being created. Minority communities were largely left out of the internet boom of the early 1990’s, leading to a digital gap, and the effects are palpable in our city’s classrooms today. When the next train of economic prosperity is leaving the station, we want to see everybody on board!

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SVC – LUMINARY AWARDS

So far this evening, we have discussed some of the harsh economic realities that we face. We have recognized that we are all under enormous stress and financial strain. And we appreciate that all the pressures of the daily grind are going to be taking their toll on everyone’s nerves. While a municipal government does not have the power to wipe all these factors away, I firmly believe that we should bend over backwards to avoid unnecessarily contributing to all the stress. Those of us who work for the City can sometimes forget that seeking assistance or answers from one’s local government can feel intimidating in the best of the times. During times of economic distress, however, it can feel downright overwhelming.

This is why it is absolutely essential that City officials and employees renew our commitment to providing excellent service to our constituents. I have reiterated to my staff that we must work extra hard to treat everyone with courtesy and respect. We should always be mindful of the pressures and burdens that may be afflicting our constituents, and then we must avoid adding to those burdens. Ultimately, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are public servants. I sincerely hope that this message resonates loud and clear across the City.

Of course, there are some people in our City for whom excellent service is already second nature. These are people who are empathetic to a fault, they perform their jobs with unwavering efficiency, and they are quick to lend a hand or offer a smile. These people think nothing of going above and beyond the call of duty, and while they do not ask for our recognition – they unquestionably deserve it. That is why I have established the Mayor’s Luminary Awards Program. Those who are selected are people who manage to brighten the lives of others, and whose kindheartedness warms our community. We have chosen to honor people who work for the City, as well as those who reside here. As you will learn, all of these folks regularly manage to go that extra step. We have most of the awardees for the first quarter of 2009 in attendance tonight, and I would like to take a moment to briefly recognize each of these extraordinary people:

Our January City Luminary is Stacia Joyce from the Emergency Management Department. She was one of the first people on the scene of the Prince Street Fire in December. There was a cold wet rain that night, but at 3:30 am, Stacia was already on the scene. She instinctively started doing triage, collecting the names of all the victims, finding out what their immediate needs were, and then coordinating with the different City agencies to make certain everyone had the information they needed to start the humanitarian efforts. By 7 that morning, when most people would be going home to get some rest, she was just getting started, making sure no one fell through the cracks, and she truly was a guardian angel for all the families that day.

Our February City Luminary is the ENTIRE Public Works Department. I wanted to single out several people from the DPW for their wonderful dedication, efficiency, and friendliness – until I realized that there were simply TOO MANY people that fit that description. Department Head Lisa Peterson is here to accept the award on behalf of the department, and ALL Public Works employees deserve our praise for keeping City Hall tidy, cleaning our streets and our various messes, setting up and breaking down our celebrations, decorating our festivals, and tirelessly helping to make every event possible. And this is without mentioning their Herculean task of keeping our streets and sidewalks passable during the snowy winter months. Those who do not work for the City will sadly never fully appreciate all the important roles the DPW workers fill, nor will they appreciate the truly fantastic personalities within the department. Needless to say, we are all in your debt.

Our March City Luminary is Duane Brown, Affirmative Action Officer for the HR Department – Duane has long been a sunny, friendly, and knowledgeable presence in City Hall. He has patiently shepherded countless job-seekers through the frustrating process of applications, interviews, anticipation, and acceptance. Duane approaches his roll by serving as a tireless cheerleader, patient life coach, friendly advisor, and well-informed appraiser. In a position that some may assume with cool detachment to guard against burning out, Duane has always put one hundred percent of himself into the job. He always tells it like he sees it, goes out of his way to assist his colleagues, and makes everyone feel like a valued friend. All that, and he’s got a megawatt smile that could give President Obama a run for his money.

Our January Luminary Citizens are Adam Travis & Akshata Kadagathur – These Harvard undergrads, both products of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, have long volunteered at the student-run Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. There, they met shelter resident Maximilien Yelbi. Mr. Yelbi moved here from France four years ago to attend a prep school in Fitchburg. He had no place to stay, so he bounced from one homeless shelter to another while balancing a full course load and working three jobs to pay his school tuition. He ended up at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, dreaming of attending a four year college. Adam and Akshata quickly became his support system, assisting him with researching schools, completing financial aid forms, and purchasing a suit for his interviews. The partnership between Mr. Yelbi, Adam, and Akshata paid off when he received a full academic scholarship from Hamilton College, which included the costs of room and board. Adam and Akshata could not be here with us tonight, but I wanted to share their amazing story with you.

Our February Luminary Citizen is Ardeene Goodrich – Ardeene is currently the Area 4 Coalition Coordinator, but the truth is, she has ALWAYS been working to improve her community as a tireless community organizer. Ardeene’s life is all about bringing neighbors together, always finding new ways to make the city a warmer place for all. She has spent time as a Youth Advocate, a Peace Commissioner, and a crusader against gun violence. Ardeene has helped organize neighborhood meetings to make certain that people have the most current information on how to stay safe, and she has worked to connect children and families to the city resources they might otherwise not know about. Due to her natural warmth and ability to instantly put people at ease, this exceptional woman brings to mind that old phrase: “She never meets a stranger.” Additionally, a more interesting and versatile conversationalist you will not find. Cambridge is extraordinarily lucky to have her!

Finally, our March Luminary Citizens are Robert Bridgeman & His Staff – Robert is a Director of Programs at Harvard University’s Phillips Brooks House Association, and he and his staff have been key players in helping us launch the Boys to Men Program and the Mayor’s Girls Leadership Program. Planning and executing such programs are often a complicated process of locating resources, working up budgets, drumming up enthusiasm, and devoting long hours of hard work – but Robert and his staff were just SO amiable and enjoyable to collaborate with. Robert won us the use of the Phillips Brooks House for the Boys to Men program, and helped recruit Harvard Undergrad students to work on both the boys’ and the girls’ groups. This sort of activity comes naturally to Robert, though, as he has spent his entire adult life working with Cambridge youth as a mentor, an advisor, and an inspiration. Thank you, once again, to Robert, his staff, and to all of our Luminary Awardees!

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT – TOWN MEETINGS

Our Luminary Awardees exemplify one of the principals that has guided me throughout my life: the fact that each and every one of us has a duty to be engaged in the world around us. Many people find it easy to grumble and complain about their community, but not enough people are prepared to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to make it better. Now, that’s just a quality that was instilled in me when I was growing up, and since winning a seat on the City Council several years ago, I have been looking for ways to pull more and more people into the process. Whether it’s through volunteering, or joining City boards and committees, or attending City Council meetings – everyone has an obligation to get involved in their community!

As Mayor, I have looked for ways to make it easier for residents to get involved, to get people excited about being involved. One way of accomplishing this goal has been through inviting people to join the Mayor’s Senior Advisory Committee and the GLBT Commission. Both of these groups have been invaluable in giving voice to the issues and concerns that are raised within these communities, and in working with me to find constructive solutions. I know some of the members of these committees are with us tonight, so I do wish to thank them all for giving back to their City.

Another, broader way to get increase civic engagement has been through holding Town Meetings that focus upon a specific theme and are open to the public at large. Last year’s GLBT Town Meeting, for example, was held right here in the Sullivan Chamber, and the room was filled energized participants. That night, City Councilors and other officials were able to mix, mingle, and hear directly from their GLBT constituents about what aspects of the City are responsive to their needs, and what areas have room for improvement. The meeting highlighted the fact that we greatly value and encourage the participation of all our constituents, and that their continued participation can only improve our community. Weeks later, we held a more somber Town Meeting that focused upon the rise of homophobia in the local Haitian community. We have reason to believe that this intolerance contributed to the death of a young man, and this meeting created an opportunity to bring people together; it also created an opportunity to explore the roots of where this homophobia might be coming from, and to figure out how to stamp it out. For many in the local Haitian community, the healing process truly began that night, and while the circumstances that led to this meeting were tragic, we received so much positive feedback from people who said it gave them a good outlet to channel their grief, and a way to plug in to the greater community around them.

Raising awareness about community concerns has also been a key component of my ongoing meetings with the local spiritual leaders of Cambridge. These monthly “Clergy Breakfasts” are always open to representatives from the City’s many churches, mosques, and temples, and the focus is upon how they can work best with the municipal government in the offering of various social services. Whether Cambridge residents are suffering from homelessness, joblessness, addiction to drugs and alcohol, mental illness, or simply a sense of being overwhelmed by their lives, they will often ultimately make their way to MY office, or to the front door of a house of worship. We can offer them our sympathies and our solace, but ultimately our job is to figure out where to direct these people for some real assistance. Thus, we’ll often invite representatives from Just-A-Start, CASPAR, Transition House, the Guidance Center, and the Multi-Service Center – all places that are filled with dedicated, knowledgeable, caring professionals – to explain who they are, what they do, and how we can all coordinate our efforts to best assist people. The response to these meetings has been fantastic, and I think we have all benefitted from the chance to share information with each other.

Civic engagement, information sharing, and social services have also intersected in the realm of our City that is overseen by our outstanding police department. Commissioner Haas has done an excellent job of reaching out to the community, working to engage the different neighborhoods in the process, and establishing strong relationships with residents to help deter criminal activity. The police have also been generous with attending neighborhood meetings to debrief folks on ways to increase their safety. This was the case last summer, when there was a wave of violence in Area 4. Commissioner Haas and several of his deputies attended a meeting organized by the Area 4 residents, to answer their questions, calm their fears, and dispense some useful information. This marked a turning point in the amount of criminal activity in the area, and the professionalism and accessibility displayed by our police department deserves recognition. I include the excellent work of the Auxiliary Police Force in this praise, and I was so pleased to host the Auxiliary Police Dinner in their honor last year.

DIFFERENT MAYOR’S INITIATIVES & EDUCATION

Hosting the Town Meetings and the Clergy Meetings have been excellent ways of bringing the community together, and I look forward to building upon our past successes over the coming year. Another area where we have increased community participation has been in the search for a new Superintendent of Schools. The School Committee and I have taken pains to make this an open process, and we have worked to ensure that a wide variety of voices and viewpoints are considered. We have brought in a professional search firm to help us locate the most qualified pool of candidates, and they have held informational sessions with the School Committee, teachers, central office administrators, and different community groups. Additionally, an on-line survey was created to gather input from those who did not make it out to the informational sessions, so this truly has been a collaborative effort between us all.

This process has also presented us with a fantastic opportunity to inject some fresh energy and ideas into our schools. Whomever we end up hiring is going to be taking us into a brand new era – and the new Superintendent is going to have to take into account all the new technologies, the shifting economy, and the more advanced skills that our kids will need as a solid foundation for future success. There are sure to be a great deal of challenges for the incoming Superintendent, but I am fully confident that we will pick the right person for the job.

Concurrent to this search, the School Committee and the Interim Superintendent have been hard at work to ensure that our schools remain competitive. To this end, we recently updated our goals for the 2008-2009 school year. These goals include the need to:

• Accelerate achievement for ALL students.

• Ensure that students demonstrate skills in critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving, global awareness, and communication.

• Ensure that we establish and implement a system for longitudinal assessment of student growth over time.

• Utilize strategic planning process and documents to guide our decision making for the next three-to-five year period.

• Ensure a safe, nurturing, and healthy school environment for all.

In addition, we remain committed to eliminating the gap in academic performance between sub-groups of students; we support the Interim Superintendent’s efforts to balance the budget with limited staff reductions – an amazing feat in light of the multi-million dollar deficit; and we are keeping a watchful eye over the CRLS renovation project, which is due to be completed by this Fall. Taken together, all of these points demonstrate our City’s commitment to educational excellence, and in making certain that the kids coming out of Cambridge public schools are placed on a path towards achievement and success.

At this time, I would like to ask the members of the Mayor’s Girls Leadership Group who are present to please rise.

As an official AND as a parent, I know that we can never have too many programs that invest in our children. And that’s why one of my proudest accomplishments from this past year has been the launch of the Mayor’s Girls Leadership Group, which is designed to expose our 8th grade girls to strong, successful women who will give them some insights into what they’ll need to really thrive as they become young adults. The program is held each month at City Hall, and it gives 35 girls an opportunity to participate in lively discussions with strong, successful female leaders from the business, non-profit, and political worlds. The women discuss what they were like as 8th graders, and how their hard work, good study habits, and commanding social skills opened up a world of opportunity and success for them later in life. This gives our members a glimpse of what they, too, can achieve if they work hard now and they continue to make the right decisions. In addition to the Girls Group, we have also co-sponsored a Fall & Spring “Boys to Men” program with Phillips Brooks House for 8th Grade boys at Harvard University, again focusing on academics and social skills. I would now ask that we all please give a hand to the young ladies of the Girls Leadership Group who are here tonight, and we recognize all their hard work.

The Girls Leadership Program is something that I have been interested in launching for years, so I am very pleased that it has been so successful. I am equally pleased that another project I have long been working on has made significant progress in the past year. I am referring to the movement to erect a proper memorial to civil rights pioneer Prince Hall. During the Revolutionary War era, Prince Hall was responsible for establishing the first school for African-Americans, he petitioned to allow African-Americans to fight for the country’s independence, and he advocated for the freedom and equality of all men. For whatever reason, he has largely been standing in the shadows of history – but we’re not going to let him stay there. In the past year, we have identified an appropriate spot for a monument on the Cambridge Common, we have selected an artist to create a befitting memorial, and we have broken ground. By the time I leave the Mayor’s Office, Cambridge will have a standing memorial to this trail blazer of civil rights, further cementing our City’s reputation as a bastion of liberty and inclusiveness.

By the time I leave the Mayor’s Office, I also hope I can say that our people are living healthier, happier lives. Physical and mental well-being are too often overlooked and lost in the shuffle, and that is why I have recently launched the Mayor’s Wellness Initiative. This initiative is my answer to those who mistakenly believe that you need to be wealthy and have the luxury of free time in order to take good care of yourself. You don’t need great wealth or unlimited time – you just need some creativity and determination. The great challenge behind this initiative was for community members to harness that creativity to design their own wellness programs that would incorporate physical activity, healthy eating, and mental health into their everyday routines. We received so many innovative and fun sounding proposals, and we ended up selecting twelve programs that my office then provided modest seed money for. I have been so impressed by the people of Cambridge banding together and getting serious about their personal maintenance, which is probably even more important in light of the stress and strain we’re all facing.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

As I was preparing my remarks for this evening, I realized that there is something ELSE that has impressed me about Cambridge, and this harkens back to the Girls Leadership Group – there is an abundance of strong, intelligent, inspiring women among us! From Representative (and former Mayor) Alice Wolf and Ambassador Swanee Hunt, to everyday heroes like Ms. Goodrich and Ms. Joyce, to my dedicated and phenomenal educational advisors in the Mayor’s Office, Lenora Jennings and Bridget Rodriguez, there are just so many formidable female role models in Cambridge!

I mention this because March is Women’s History Month, and our country is becoming increasingly used to seeing strong women in prominent roles. It was not that long ago when “a woman’s place was in the kitchen,” and the United States was mostly governed by wealthy white men. Those men may have had good hearts, and they may have been empathetic souls, but there is no way they could have completely grasped the American Experience from the unique perspective of a woman. And it should come as no surprise that Cambridge was one of the earlier communities to understand this. We picked our first female mayor nearly forty years ago, and we have always had strong, intelligent women actively participating in our City.

This month, Cambridge celebrated Women’s History Month with a number of different events. For example, the Cambridge Women’s Heritage Project commemorated the 1971 takeover of a Harvard-owned building by women who would go on to found the Cambridge Women’s Center. A documentary about the takeover was viewed at the celebration, and a marker from the Historical Commission was unveiled at the takeover site. My staff and I held a reception in the Mayor’s Parlor to honor the work of the Women’s Commission, and to commemorate the Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Cambridge. We also held “A Look at Women in Cambridge Now,” the Women’s Data Workshop Preliminary Findings and Recommendations, which shall be used to help shape policy in Cambridge. There were several other events this month that reflected upon and celebrated the many strong women who shaped our city, and who paved the way for all of us – myself included.

CONCLUSION

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for joining us this evening. As I look back upon my first year in office, I do so with a mix of pride, gratitude, and determination. There has been a wealth of experiences that I could not have imagined when I first entered elected office. Even down to the events that have taken place just inside the Mayor’s Parlor – in the past twelve months, we have opened the Parlor to visiting dignitaries from other countries and from our Sister Cities, and to those who just wanted to watch the swearing in of the new president. In that parlor, we have hosted receptions for community partners who run womens’ shelters, and for those who have literally risked their lives for their neighbors. And in that parlor, I have been visited by countless members of the community. I have laughed with you during moments of joy, and I have commiserated with you during moments of pain. And whether it has been in the Mayor’s Parlor, or meeting in my office, or walking through Central Square, I have worked with you all to figure out how your city government can be more responsive to your needs. This is the type of work I cherish, and I have great expectations for what we can accomplish – together – in the year ahead.

To conclude tonight’s address, I would like to introduce Derek Zinky, who shall play Bach Prelude and Fuge for us. Thank you all, and good night.