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Here’s a copy of the address Mayor Jerry Sanders is giving today as he’s sworn in for his second term:
Thank you. In appreciation of the support you have given me — and out of courtesy to the speakers that will follow — my remarks today will be brief.
I can afford to be brief because next month I’ll be giving a State of the City address that will lay out my agenda for the coming year.
I can also be brief because many of the things I want to talk about are things we all know to be true.
For one, this is a great city. Each of us is lucky to be a part of it.
In all of history, few people have been as fortunate as we are — to live in a city as beautiful as ours, and in a country as great as this one.
On our worst day, we are better off than so many others.
Yet as we come together for this important occasion, our city faces tremendous challenges.
Every city and every state finds itself at the same critical juncture — our revenues have plunged dramatically and it is not clear when, or if, they will return to their former levels.
Our responsibility in these uncertain times is not only to chart a course into an unclear future, but also to never lose sight of who we are, and where we’ve come from.
For San Diego, this financial crisis will test our commitment to live within our means.
And it will require that we unite — not as hundreds of neighborhoods, or as eight Council districts — but as one city with a common purpose.
Make no mistake, we can and we will rise to this occasion.
That’s what is expected of us — it’s what we expect of ourselves.
Today we are here to witness the departures of five elected officials, each of whom has made personal sacrifices to serve our city.
And we are also here to welcome their successors, five outstanding individuals who are coming aboard during one of the most volatile periods in our lifetimes.
I look forward to working with these new council members, and with this new city attorney.
They each bring a fresh perspective and energy to their offices.
They know that our political differences are relatively trivial when compared with the responsibilities we share.
And we all understand that we will not be judged by how we distinguish ourselves, one from the other.
But rather, by what we accomplish together.
In the next few months, we must make decisions that will be difficult — and that I guarantee will make some people unhappy.
But the vast majority of San Diegans understand that difficult decisions can, and must be made. Because they are already making them for themselves and for their children.
They know that our world has fundamentally changed.
They worry about their jobs, their families and their futures.
And they look to us for leadership.
They want us to be honest about what services the city can continue to provide — and which it cannot.
They want us to make sure that everyone pays their fair share — and no one gets a free ride.
Most of all, they do not want this budget crisis to become a competition between special interests.
In the weeks ahead, we will work together to find solutions that will carry forth long after we have left office.
Because we must solve our budget crisis not just for this year, or for next year, but for the next generation and the one after that.
Just as a good farmer puts back in the soil what he takes out, we must be careful not to create an artificial abundance by depleting our resources.
Nothing is more important to San Diegans than our quality of life, and we all want to protect it.
But is not our birthright.
Rather, it is a trust — a gift from previous generations we must work hard, even make sacrifices, to preserve.
Because, in the end, our success is not measured by the quality of life we enjoy.
Our success is measured by the quality of life we pass on to our children.
I am proud to be your mayor, and to work with this team.
When we reach the end of our service here, I know that this great city will be stronger and that your lives will be richer for the work we do together.
Thank you.