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. - . "' - leave early tomorrow morning on business. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have you here this evening. My family, their letters... and their prayers - have been with me these past three years, and particularly these past several months. It has sustained me greatly, and to have you here to hug me on behalf of my whole family was tremendous... I would also like to thank Lydia and Dee** here in the audience. They work in our office, they are our office family, and they are like sisters to me. They have always been there for us. Lydia has been with us over ten years. These last several months they understood that I needed to be out more... and the commitment I made to Redwood City. They stepped up and kept our office running very smoothly.... I would also like to thank my friends and supporters who worked this campaign with me, and have been my friends for a long, long time. You know who are. I can't thank you enough. Your friendship means so much to me, and I am very fortunate to have the good friends that I have in Redwood City. My second family, my West Coast family. Certainly not least, and I won't say last, is my husband, Steve... We have been together twenty years now, and I can tell you, that he has been such a solid foundation for me, my strongest supporter and rny very best friend. And I could not have done it without his help and support, and I know that he is very proud of me, and I am very proud of him. He took a lot of time to pick up the slack when I needed to be out there meeting people, and I can't thank him enough for cleaning the house and doing laundry... thank you, Steve. I really appreciate you. - "I'd also like to thank you, the voters, for expressing your support for the direction in which Redwood City is going, and for the work I have been doing. Thank you for reelecting rne to the City Council. Our shared vision is a common one. It is an exciting time for us. I would also like to thank the Council for their confidence in me in electing me as your Mayor. I'd like to take a few minutes to talk to you about the role of local government and the future of our City. I may repeat a little of what has been said, but it is important that we recognize the future our City has. I'm afraid that voter cynicism about big govemment was one of the reasons for the low voter turnout. But I will tell you that local government is different. It is the best hope that we have for a workable governmental system in this country. We are non-partisan. We are not just faces on a TV. We are your realtors, your accountants, your lawyers, your teachers, your kids' coaches, your business people, your nurses, and your softball buddies, your neighbors and your friends. Like you we must live with the results of our decisions. We drive the same roads, face the same traffic, send our kids to the same schools, use the same businesses and public services. These past three years, the people who have served on this City Council have had a free open exchange of ideas. I am sure that some newspapers will tell you that the 4-3 vote tonight for election of Mayor is a sign of our divisiveness. I will tell you that it is the sign of a democratic system where seven people can bring differing ideas and opinions to the table and freely discuss them. In the end we reach a - consensus, make a decision, and move on to the next issue. Some newspapers ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 NOVEMBER 14, 1997 MINUTES Page No. 027 PAGE 17