>> good afternoon, thank you for being here, this is a momentous
occasion for the council of columbia.
I will note the swearing in is taking place today and not
earlier because we have to wait until the board of
formally certifies the results for the june 16 election, which
they did today. It is under the home rule act we
are required, or we are supposed to swear in the winner of the
election on the same day. So here we are, would have been
a few weeks earlier if the votes could be tallied more quickly.
I mean no shade to the board of elections, they did the process,
that is why we are here today in the middle of july.
I want to congratulate alyssa silverman for her victory.
with rain choice voting, everyone said before june 16 how
many candidates would have to go through the ranking and how long
it would take. She commanded enough votes that
she won her first ballot, so congratulations.
I will note there is always someone newly elected.
I know the newly elected folks have to figure out where the
bathrooms are, as they say, and the processes.
we know she has experienced, so she will be able to hit the
ground running. This is a consequential time,
and I will proceed to ask the councilmember elect to come
forward. I think you want some family to
come forward, then we will administer the oath of office.
[applause] [applause]
>> over on that side. You can stand between me and the
councilmember -- if you would raise your right
hand. Repeat after me.
>> I alyssa silverman >> do solemnly swear.
>> that I will faithfully execute the laws of the united
states of america. >> that I will faithfully
execute the laws of the united states of america.
>> end of the district of columbia.
>> and will to the best of my ability.
>> preserve, protect, and defend.
>> the constitution of the united states.
>> and the district of columbia home rule act.
>> and will faithfully discharge the duties.
>> of the office of member. >> of the office of member.
>> of the office of the council of district columbia.
>> on which I'm about to enter. >> on which I'm about to enter.
>> congratulations. >> thank you.
[applause]
>> and I think we will get some remarks.
>> very brief. >> as long as you want.
>> while we are waiting, I want to acknowledge -- council matt
fruman, anita bonds, chad white are here.
because the date was unclear, other members could not be here.
but I want to acknowledge them for being here.
>> thank you for being here. >> my fellow washingtonians, it
is exhilarating. To be in a room full of people
dedicated to making our home the nation's capital, a better d.c.
for all. This is not my first time
reciting the oath of office, it is not my first time standing
before you vowing to uphold the constitution, to defend bc home
rule and to do everything in my power to improve the lives of
washingtonians. There are many wise people I
could quote about the power of resilience.
from harriet tubman to nelson mandela, to rocky balboa.
but we are here in the wilson building, and the most
appropriate person to quote is the man known as the mayor for
life, marian and barry junior. His endorsement of me in the
2014 at large dc council race took many people by surprise.
and it catapulted me to my first electoral victory.
he also made a big political comeback.
the mayor is known for saying, it is not how you get knocked
down, it is how you get back up. I think it went further on to
say when you knock it down, he advised to get knocked down on
your back, that way you can look up.
and he always said, if you can look up, you can get up.
so I have a few thoughts to add given my experiences.
in the first thing is you cannot get up alone.
you can do it by yourself, you need others to help lift you up.
because when you are knocked down, whether losing a job you
love, or losing a person you love, or navigating illnesses,
or facing a bully, it is disorienting.
you lose your's sense of direction and identity.
and you need others to remind you of your strengths, of your
integrity, of your promise, and of your hopes for the future.
the people who surrounded me are the core of those people who
helped me, and I look around this room and I see the people
who lifted me up. I'm thinking of others who
helped me from near and from afar who can't be here today.
it was in acts that were very big and small.
helping me put one foot in front of the other.
and in this very public setting, I want to say thank you.
thank you guys so much. I would not be standing here
without you. I will never forget the lunches
and the dinners, the trips, the check in phone calls, the
emails, the movies we went to, the bike rides, the dinners, the
tennis games, and all the love you express to me.
thank you so much. And in some ways as a city over
the last few years, we have been knocked down.
whether by a worldwide pandemic, or by a reckless president, and
a congress that has lost its moral compass and backbone.
for some washingtonians, this is not a new feeling, it is a
generational struggle. It has been a challenge for more
than a few years. Having the feeling that they can
no longer live here. That they wonder whether there
is a place for him here, a home for them here.
for others, it has been recent. I'm thinking of a woman that I
met at a movie night, the movie was hamilton, I was not there to
watch the movie, pretty much all I do is collect signatures and
hand out campaign literature for the past six months.
in all seriousness, she intentionally came up to me and
told me she lost her job with usaid.
it has been more than a year of trying to get back on her feet.
hundreds of job applications she has filled out that just seem to
go out into a black hole. Difficulty collecting bc
unemployment, I know something about that.
she lost her turn-based health insurance and access to health
care. And she worries every day about
how she can pay her bills and whether it really makes sense.
I know how terrifying and isolating that feels.
I have been there. For days.
and weeks. And I have to say years.
what I want to say to my fellow washingtonians is I'm here.
if you think no one else is here, I'm here to lift you up.
and I see it in my role that we somewhat jokingly call alyssa
2.0, to make sure that d.c. Government works well, works
efficiently, works effectively, works competently to help you
get back up if you need that help, to get back on track.
we need d.c. Government to get our city back up, our city back
on track, to be that place of great opportunity for all, the
light of the world in that shining city on a hill.
it is time to get back up. I'm here to remind you we are a
city of very talented residents, unique and incredible local
businesses, creative entrepreneurs, public policy
experts, even a few lawyers, of compassionate and caring people
who know that our strength is in our growing diversity.
in our mix of people who grew up in this city, like mayor bowser,
like our likely future mayor, janeese lewis george, and people
sitting here today. Two in the front row.
and then there are others like me, like marion barry, who came
to the city because of its promise like president douglas,
jose andres, like many of you as well.
we cannot do this work alone. We need to do it together.
and when we disagree, we need to find common ground to move
forward together. To all those d.c. Voters, many
of whom are in this room, who helped me get to this moment,
who voted for me in all eight wards, and to the organizations
and unions who supported me and endorsed me.
thank you. I will work as hard as I can for
you. And to those who did not vote
for me, to those groups that did not endorse me, I represent you
as well. I will never forget that I will
work equally hard for you as well.
I had the chance to thank councilmember doni crawford for
her service to the city, we met tuesday morning before the last
legislative meeting and we had a very good conversation.
I look forward to continuing to work with her.
I also had the opportunity to sit down with the state board of
education president, sean patterson.
we talked about how we can partner with the ward 7 and ward
eight council members on getting our kids back in school and
bringing more and better economic development to our
communities east of the anacostia river.
I look forward to working with -- as well.
we have many challenges ahead, some are in our control, some
are not. What is important, I have
learned, is how we respond. That we keep our integrity of
making this government by the people and for the people, that
we maintain our morality, that all residents should live in
dignity, and that we do not give into political beliefs and
understand that power should be used to uplift the many, not
just the chosen few based on what we look like or how much
money they have, or who they know.
it is time to get back up, d.c., time to get to work.
and I'm here to do the heavy lifting.
thank you. And I hope you will join me
downstairs, my new counsel office for happy hour
celebration will fuel us to start this important work ahead.
see you downstairs, thank you chairman mendelson for
administering the host, thank you for my colleagues, for being
here, and everyone coming today to be a part of this moment.
I think I have to sign a few papers apparently and make this
all official. So thank you again.
it is truly my honor to represent you and represent this
city. Thank you so much.
>> thank you very much, that is the end of this event.
congratulations, councilmember alyssa silverman.
the --