How inspiring! A federal government that is open to the citizens for both ideals and criticism. A renewed understanding of government complete with new lobbying regulations, a freeze on unnecessary salary increases for top White House officials, a true freedom of the press, but most important, a return of the American government to its rightful owner -- the U.S. citizen.
Gary must begin this new political season with the same aspiration and the belief that our city is the responsibility of its owners, us. We must build on the momentum President Obama has begun.
In order to accomplish this task, we must remember that our government is "of the people and for the people." Our elected officials are our representatives, not our rulers. Their actions should reflect the thinking of the citizens of Gary; therefore, the citizens must be involved in the political process.
Our current situation -- morally, economically, socially and politically -- is in turmoil. However, I feel it is not too far gone for us to come together and correct our current problems.
We are a strong community of people who once, when faced with adversity, raised up and elected America's first African-American mayor. We are a community that inspired a nation of black politicians to run for office by hosting the first Black National Political Convention. We are a community that, when the world said we couldn't, we said, "Yes we can," and we did! It is this spirit, determination and belief that inspired me to run for office, and it is this spirit that continues to inspire me.
We must reignite our sense of pride and rekindle our love for one another to band together to create the best educational system this country has ever seen. We must come together to make our community safe for one another. Then we will attract the businesses we need to make Gary thrive.
We must come together to rid our city of trash in empty lots and potholes that damage our cars. We must come together to demand that our consumer needs be met with a smile and in a timely fashion.
All of these needs and more can be met if we come together to demand that our representatives do better. Remember, their actions are representative of us.
If there is something in your community or neighborhood that you do not agree with, you must make these concerns known and help to rectify them. We all have a duty to our community, so we must each do our part in making Gary one of the premier cities in the state and an inspiration to the country.
We must find inspiration in our new president's philosophy of change.
As Obama said, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. ... We are the change that we seek... We are the hope of the future..."
I look forward to working with you in making Gary great!
