I was pleased that I was the first to take the oath of office on Tuesday. I guess because I'm the type of person that will volunteer to be the first to speak in a classroom so that I'm done first follows the philosophy as to why I was glad to be first on Tuesday.
After the oath, I walked through the swinging door and made my way around to the seat that Mr. Whayne had occupied for eight years. It was a different experience; it was an experience I will not forget. It was when the surreal feeling left and reality hit. There is a lot of work to do, and this is a big position to fill.
None the less, I was glad to be seated, and glad to get to work.
After the brief meeting in the chambers of City Council, we made our way to the luncheon down the road. We went over the budget in a brief manner, mainly discussing the types of revenues and expenditures the city deals with.
After all was said and done, and when I was on my way home, I realized that while there are many challenges ahead of the city, I firmly believe that there is not one person on the new council that is not ready to address them. While the philosophies may vary, I believe that respect among council members will prevail. After all, with the diversity we have in our community, the community deserves a diverse city council.
As a close comes to the fist week, I am very optimistic about the next several years that I will get to share with the community in service and relationship. Beyond that, and with the dramatic increase in voter turnout in Zone 1 (40% from 2007), I am hopeful that the participation of many will continue, and even more will begin.
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3 comments:
Congratulations, Mr. Ibarra. I voted for you and was pleased that you got the seat.
I hope you'll make wise decisions regarding the major financial issues our good city faces. I am one of those folks who does NOT support that "SOS" initiative to divert the 1/4-cent funds to the pension crisis.
No one whom I've heard of supporting that initiative has ever explained how we'll replace the 1/4 cent for crucial street, curb, guttering, etc., needs.
I would ask you, since I understand you supported the "SOS" idea during your campaign -- if that money were diverted from streets and other infrastructure projects, how would that be replaced? I understand from a newspaper article a few weeks ago that it represents about 46% of the current funds for such projects in the city right now.
Again, congratulations. I trust you'll do well -- which is why I voted for you despite my strong concerns about the SOS matter. And may I just add, you have the best wishes and, yes, prayers, of my wife and me for your success in this important position.
Looking forward to your regular meeting "debut" tomorrow night.
I admire you for being willing to pursue and hold elective office.
Good luck.
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