 
Realitycheck
Member
Username: Realitycheck
Post Number: 151
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 68.41.173.240
| | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 10:00 am: |    |
Here's the strong, stirring victory speech delivered Tuesday -- suitable for printing, framing . . . or simply savoring and looking forward to Inauguration Day on Jan. 3:
The following remarks were delivered to supporters at the Roostertail on Primary Night, Aug. 2, 2005. [ Transcribed by Video Monitioring Services of America. ]
How's everybody doing tonight? Listen, I want to thank all of Detroit for this great victory tonight. When we started this campaign nearly two years ago, we were discounted just like the city of Detroit. They didn't give us much of a chance. They wrote us off, but today the voters of Detroit have proved them all wrong.
And now my friends, and now, the primaries are
over, and our choice for the city's future could never be more clear than it is right now.
We could have four more years of broken promises, big talk, and little action, or we can get this great city moving forward again. What would you like?
We can have four more years of government by and for the insiders, or we could start putting neighborhoods and taxpayers first. We could have four more years of scandal and corruption, or we could have an administration that is open and transparent, one that works every day to honor the public trust.
We could have four more years of overspending, mismanagement, budget deficits and mass layoffs, or we could return to management principles and strategies that brought in uninterrupted streams of balanced budgets and tax cuts.
We could have four more years of division, fighting, finger pointing, backbiting, blame naming, or we could show some civility and respect for each other and bring people together in pursuit of our common goals.
That's the choice, my friends. That's the choice, Detroit, and it couldn't be clearer. Do you want more of the same?
Are you ready for change? Now I want you to know that I'm a person of faith, and since I've been in this campaign, I've been praying a whole lot more -- very seriously -- than I was a couple of years ago.
But I'm not asking Detroiters to take my candidacy on faith. I offer 25 years of
experience in city and county government, I've worked my way up from the bottom, I've paid my dues, and I offer a record of accomplishments as deputy mayor of our city.
I've helped balance budgets, attract investment, create good jobs, and we brought police on this force -- and that's what I plan on doing again.
Ladies and gentlemen, I offer a plan that I wrote after more than 150 meetings with Detroiters, a detailed road map to becoming the city that we ought to be. I offer hope for our people who have been disappointed too often, for our seniors who have built this great city, to our young people who are trying to find their way.
What I don't offer is big talk and empty promises. We've had enough of that.
It's time for accountability, it's time for real
leadership, it's time for change.
So over the next three months, we will continue to work our hearts out to change the direction of our city, to offer the people of Detroit a better way.
Now don't kid yourself, this is not going to
be easy. Real change never is. The folks who have been having a party at our expense for four years are not going to give up the credit cards without a fight. And a fight is just what we're going to give them, because we're tired of seeing them celebrate while our city is struggling and spiraling downwards.
So our message tonight, my friends -- our message, Detroit -- is that the free ride is over. We're going to take Detroit
back for the people who live here, the folks who pay their taxes, who raise their children, expect their government to serve them.
Now I know my opponent recently adopted a new
slogan. He says he is our mayor. But wait a minute . . . When you look at the policies he's been pushing, you have to wonder just who he means.
It's not the residents of public housing in Detroit. After only two years in office, Mayor Kilpatrick mismanaged public housing back to HUD's
troubled list after the Archer administration had got it off, and now he's handed public housing over to the Bush administration.
It's not the homeowners paying high taxes in Detroit's neighborhoods throughout our city, because our mayor is offering property tax breaks only to residents of Detroit's higher-income neighborhoods, not to all of our neighborhoods. He calls that property relief, I call it unfair.
And it's not for the parents of Detroit's
schoolchildren. Just this past weekend, our mayor said in a radio interview that he wants to revisit Proposal E. That, my friends, that's the same Proposal E that would have blocked the right to return of school governance to Detroit's residents.
Now, despite Mayor Kilpatrick's very rigorous campaigning, Detroiters rejected Proposal E by a margin of two to one. So Mr. Mayor, what part of no do you not understand?
My friends, Detroit needs a mayor who is going to listen to the people. We cannot abide four more years of division and drift. Now tonight's great victory would not have been possible without the efforts of thousands of volunteers who cared deeply about this city and who refused to give up on Detroit.
Now we did not squeeze contributions from city workers and appointees and city contractors because we have something better. We have 4,000 people in Detroit who were willing to give what they could to help finance this campaign, like Tyreen Johnson, who gave me $10 from his allowance because he wanted to see something better for his city, and all he wanted in return is a city that he can be hopeful about. We had thousands more who gave their time instead of money, going door-to-door, stuffing envelopes, getting out the message.
To all of you, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude for your courage, for your confidence,
for your love of Detroit.
I want to thank my family: my wife Elaine of 25 years; my son Steven; my daughter Erin; for giving me the love and support for taking on this great challenge for this city that we hold so dearly. I want to thank my brother, Rudy, and my sister, Teri, for being with me and by my side. I want to thank my mom for always standing behind me and for giving me the courage and the confidence to stand up for what I believe in.
I also want to take this opportunity to cngratulate the other candidates for mayor for being willing to put themselves out there and to put it all on the line.
I especially salute Hansen Clarke for his passion. I salute Sharon McPhail for her service, and her running mate Benny Napoleon for a career in public service. And to their friends and supporters, I invite you to join our campaign for Detroit's future. We have a big tent, and we are eager to have your voice, to have your involvement, to have your help for a city that you love.
So to all of you who are here tonight and who contributed to this great victory, have fun, you've earned it, because tomorrow we are going back to work to lay out the choice in this election and start building the future that Detroitdeserves.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless Detroit. |
Fec
Member
Username: Fec
Post Number: 38
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 198.109.44.2
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:08 pm: | |
I was there, I heard the speech and I was moved. He is sincere with every word, and I believe him. More Power to Freman Hendrix and the city of Detroit!
The fight is on, and the victory is ours!
Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless Detroit. |
Bratt
Member
Username: Bratt
Post Number: 210
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 69.222.67.187
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 10:14 pm: | |
Oh my, don't take this the wrong way because I am not anti-Freman, but that last post reminded me of the anti-christ and the end of the world. That is exactly what people were saying that followed him.
That is so scary.... |
Bratt
Member
Username: Bratt
Post Number: 211
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 69.222.67.187
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 10:15 pm: | |
I mean in the book series "Left Behind"....ooh spooky.... |
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