Marc H. Morial’s 1994 Inauguration Speech
Distinguished clergy, Governor Edwards, Mayor Barthelemy, honored guests, my friends on the City Council, ladies and gentlemen, fellow New Orleanians: The torch of leadership has been passed tonight to a new generation — a generation born during the baby boom of the 1950s, enlightened by the experiences of the 1960s and 70s, toughened by the hard economic times of the 1980s and energized by the hopes of the 1990s and the 21st century. I come to this moment humbled by the greatness of this occasion, but eager to succeed and ready to begin.
I come to this office filled with energy. I am surrounded by outstanding colleagues, friends, and family. I am enthusiastic and determined that my administration will make a difference for our city, our state and our nation.
The job of mayor is a great and difficult challenge. Your city has been led by a noble New Orleanian for the past eight years. He has worked hard and done his best to guide our city through these challenging times. Please join me in expressing our appreciation to Mayor Sidney Barthelmy for his hard work these past years. Thank you.
Now, we look only in one direction, and that is to the future. Let me share with you a vision of a great city, a new city, a safe city: our city. In times past, this city has been led by great mayors, Behrman, Morrison, Landrieu and my late father, Dutch Morial.
As we look to the future, we must make New Orleans a city where every street is safe, where the economy is diversified and grows every year, where any person who wants to can work, where schools are safe, and every child gets a quality education and where gaming is a highly-regulated economic catalyst for our tourism industry. We must have a city where new trade and banking opportunities with Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe are realized; and a city whose peoples’ respect for one another is enhanced by the efforts of an enthusiastic team in both government and the private sector.
Tonight, over in South Africa, an election has taken place. An election where people have exercised what we take for granted here. They have exercised it for the first time.
Our problems pale compared to the problems that South Africa faces. But we do face problems. We face drug pushers, gun-toting hoodlums and thugs who prey on helpless citizens. We say to them. “there’s a new sheriff in town, and we are going to run you out of New Orleans. That’s right, we’re going to run you out for good!”
When we go to Baton Rouge, my goal is to create a stronger-than-ever coalition of Louisiana cities and to generate new ideas for state initiatives that help us deal with the challenges of crime, drugs, education, housing and economic development.
We say that as our city goes, so goes our state. And as our state goes, so goes our city. New Orleans is the greatest city in a great state. The city and state are partners forever, linked by geography and economics. Let us work together to benefit the whole.
When we go to Washington, D.C., our goal for New Orleans will be to lead in the development of new urban policies that provide us with the flexibility and funding we need to start cleaning up some of the thousands of abandoned housing units in our community, rescuing the 50 percent of our children born into poverty and restoring the over 100 playgrounds in our city. I want every child in this city, whether they live in Lakeview or Bakerstown, in Hollygrove or Gert Town, in Fisher or Desire, to have an opportunity to participate in a wholesome recreation program in his or her community.
I recently met with President Bill Clinton, and I can say that he is the best hope America’s cities have. HE is the best hope for we who know that our cities are America’s crown jewels.
This is a time of challenges and choices. We have important decisions to make. Can we rebuild our neighborhoods, revitalize our riverfront and our downtown business district, while preserving our historic buildings? Can we say that St. Claude Avenue and St. Bernard Avenue are equally as important as St. Charles Avenue? How will we spend our limited resources? Can we come together in new coalitions that care only for the pursuit of a better life and care nothing for the racial class and gender barriers of the past? Can we understand that we are in this struggle together — that no neighborhood can truly be safe until all neighborhoods are safe? If anyone is without opportunity, we all are without opportunity. Do we have the shared will to make our streets safe, to recognize that in some instances one strike is enough to take you out of the ball game if you violate our laws? Can we grasp the fact that our common goals are more important than any differences that we may have?
I take special pride this evening in our choice to make this occasion even more historic. This is the first inaugural ceremony every held in the evening and indoors. We are holding in the evening to give all the people of New Orleans an opportunity to attend. We are holding it in the Morial Convention Center, because for me, this building symbolizes our forward thrust into the 21st Century. This building also holds special meaning for me, for my mother, Sybil Morial, for my brother and three sisters and for my daughter because it bears my father’s name.
I also want to take this opportunity to say a few words about our new City Council. Five members of the council are new, while two are veterans. As I am a rookie mayor we have the potential for a perfect mix. We will work closely with the council. We will not all agree all the time, but we will treat all with dignity and respect. Our door is open. My heart and mind are open. There are no sacred cows. Of course, I have strongly-held views, and I do not hesitate to express them. But I want an atmosphere where we can disagree on issues without becoming disagreeable. The voters of New Orleans have made it clear to all of us that they are weary of petty bickering which adds nothing and reduces the quality of public debate. It is part of our collective mandate to treat one another with respect. I will do my part and will try my very best to set a good example.
You are aware that we have formed a coalition to clean up City Hall. With the welcome assistance of Civil Sheriff Paul Valteau, Criminal Sheriff Charles Foti and hundreds of volunteers, we will restore both the looks and the cleanliness of City Hall. This is a special effort outside of the city budget, and it reflects the energy and innovative thinking we will bring to city government. We think it demeans citizens to come to a dirty City Hall to conduct their business, and it demeans the city employees who work there. Our goal is to restore City Hall as a clean, prideful place where our public servants will be proud to be working at 1300 Perdido Street.
Earlier today, we held the First Children’s Inaugural at the Louisiana Superdome. More than 30,000 attended. It is my goal to reach out to young people. Our children deserve more than lip service. They deserve action. That is why we will restore the New Orleans Recreation Department to its past glory. That is why we will develop a partnership with public schools. As my mother will tell you, I was her “NORD baby.” As a youngster, I ran home from school, put up my books and went out to play on the Pontchartrain Park Playground run by NORD. I played football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer. I still recall the pride I felt when my team won and when I was a 12-year-old All-City basketball player.
It was on the playgrounds that I learned that no one wins all the time and that you can enjoy a shared respect with those whom you compete against. I want others to have the same opportunities for wholesome recreation that I enjoyed at Pontchartrain Park Playground. I will not be satisfied unless those opportunities are available to everyone. This is everybody’s city — black, white, young, old, rich, poor, Hispanic, Asian, gay and straight; Uptowner, Downtowner, Eastbanker and Westbanker. It is our city to be shared equally by all.
On behalf of my generation, I want to tell all the mothers who have urged us on, we will not fail, we will not rest, we will not despair, and we will not stop.
Thank you for being part of this wonderful night, a night that historians will make as a day when a great old city rededicated itself to its greatness. God bless you. I love you and I love New Orleans. Thank you very much.
