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Announcement Speech -- June 1, 2005Thank you for coming. I want to speak to you about our city and our future. And I want to share with you a decision I have explored alongside you throughout this year. But first, let me speak to you about how I got here. This house was where I grew up – working alongside my mother and father as they built their business – one that serves people and their community. Here, with my brothers, I saw my parents’ vision of a better, more inclusive city attract all kinds of people – from US senators to janitors, from Supreme Court justices to waiters, from high school students to senior citizens, people from all neighborhoods, from all income levels, from every background, race, age, and upbringing. It is that inclusiveness that I (along with my wife Michelle) took to the Council of the District of Columbia 4 ½ years ago, where, together with you, the people I serve, I have pushed legislation for to increase affordable housing; redeploy police officers; spur neighborhood economic development; reform our juvenile justice system; improve the standard of care for our homeless; and, recently, to float a bond to fully modernize all of our schools. During my term on the Council, you, the residents of all eight Wards, have rallied behind my efforts, especially the day-to-day attention I have shown the people of Ward 4 through constituent services. That is why seven months ago, I launched an exploratory committee to assess the enthusiasm for a Fenty for Mayor Candidacy. Here is what you have told me during that time: You have told me that the next Mayor of the District of Columbia should relentlessly fight for full voting rights. You have told me of your hopes for a Mayor for neighborhoods kept safe by the best community policing in America; a Mayor for smoke-free buildings that do not attack our health; a Mayor for clean water that does not poison our children with lead; and a Mayor who spends precious time and resources on our schools and the children in them. I am proud to be part of a Council that has brought oversight and responsibility to the District’s budget. However, you have told me that you will never be satisfied as long as people are still afraid to walk out of their homes in parts of the District, as long as our children are being killed, and as long as many of our children still don't see a future for themselves better than what they have now. You have told me of your dream of a Mayor who does all he can to help businesses thrive; a Mayor who fights AIDS and homelessness; a Mayor for great parks, recreation, and recycling; a Mayor for quality affordable housing; a Mayor who keeps our senior citizens cared for and our healthcare first rate; a Mayor who inspires people to serve the public. And service is critical, for our city’s concerns will not be solved by the next Mayor of the District of Columbia alone. We must all be committed to making this city a beacon of progress, a symbol of hope, a place of accomplishment that the whole country can take pride in: A true Nation’s Capital. That is why you have told me that you want a Mayor who can connect and engage with you in your own community, a Mayor who is committed to bringing the economic growth that this city has seen to your neighborhood. You have told me that you trust me to make the right decisions for you because I will talk to you and work with you as I have with the people in ward 4. And you have told me that a Mayor with youth and energy is a good thing! You have told me of your dream of a mayor of the people, for the people, who serves the people – and never forgets it. And now it is time for my decision. I hereby announce my candidacy for the Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia. I will now begin the hard work of putting together a campaign team and will hold campaign kick-off events in every Ward of the District. It will be a campaign that begins a new era of accountability in the District of Columbia. A new era where we no longer judge ourselves on the dark times of the past but against what we want our future to look like. A new era where we judge ourselves by what we do for those most in need. A new era where we will come together in new and innovative ways to turn problems into opportunities. As Councilmember, I have said that no problem is too small for our action and swift solution. As Mayor, it will be my charge that no problem should be too big for us to try to solve, and solve together. So it is not only me who will be running. It is we who will be running. You have told me that you want a Mayor to unite us, a Mayor to inspire us, and a Mayor to make this city work for all of us. And with your support, that is what I intend to be. I aim to be a Mayor for you, a Mayor for us. Please join me. We need each other. And our city needs us. Fenty Declares Candidacy for MayorJoined by Supporters, Friends and Family, Fenty Campaign Begins at his Childhood Home in Mount Pleasant
Washington, DC—June 1, 2005: Ward 4 Councilmember Adrian Fenty announced today that he will run for the office of the mayor of the District of Columbia in 2006. “You have told me that you want a Mayor who can connect and engage with you in your own community and who is committed to bringing the economic growth that this city has seen to your neighborhood. You have told me that you trust me to make the right decisions for you because I will talk to you and work with you,” said Fenty as he declared his readiness to run for the District’s highest office. Standing in front of his childhood home with his parents, wife and supporters in Mount Pleasant, Fenty spoke about his seven months of traveling across the District’s neighborhoods listening to what people want for their city and in their next mayor. Overwhelmingly, he said, people want the schools fixed and that they strongly support his efforts to float bonds to fully modernize our schools. “There is no doubt, things have gotten better under Mayor Williams, but I’ve heard over and over again in the Wards that the things that really matter – excellent schools, safe neighborhoods, affordable housing and economic opportunities for all -- have been overlooked.” He also stressed that he will be relentless in the fight for DC voting rights. Fenty announced that he will hold kick-off events in each Ward and that he is expecting the participation of all the people, not only in his campaign, but in his administration. Fenty will file as a candidate with the Office of Campaign Finance on Monday, June 6. |
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