If Alders and members of the public could please take their seats, we will begin momentarily.

If Alders and members of the public could please take their seats, we will begin momentarily.

Well, good evening, everyone.

The hour of six o'clock having arrived at the City of Racine Common Council.

It is now my honor to call to order our meeting on this 21st day of April.

The first order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

If you could please rise as you are able and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

We've been told over and over that there's a structural deficit that needs to be dealt with this year.

But we also have some exciting projects in the works.

The playground at Lakeview Park, the community center, the King Center there, Lincoln King Center, which uh is exciting, and I'm getting speed humps on Michigan Boulevard, which is something that's been long coming.

I'm grateful for the support of my wife.

Uh, without her, um, I could not do this.

At times she tends to jump in and uh um, and I always get an earful if she doesn't agree with uh what I did or um actions taken at times.

Um it was very important for me to have my grandchildren here.

My children grew up here in City Hall.

I think uh my son was six years old when I was first elected, and uh my grandson Tanner just turned seven on Sunday, and I mentioned that I was gonna bring that up probably for the third time here.

Uh it was kind of interesting because he was six, seven this year.

Uh quite a milestone uh for the little guy, and then my oldest uh Kai, who went with me uh for preliminary meetings on the Lakeview playground and jumped right in and gave his opinion and uh his advice to our new park director when we looked over the plans for that.

Uh I'm proud to have my dad here.

Uh I wish my mom could be here, but unfortunately she passed away several years ago, and my brother's here too, and so it's good to be surrounded by family at times like this, and then I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge my son-in-law Keandre, who drove the boys down from Sheboygan today to be here.

And uh Keandre's uncle is uh one of our faithful city employees, Mr.

McDonald, who works for the bus company.

I hope I didn't jinx you, sir.

And uh and then the um unfortunately, my daughter had to work tonight, and my son is at practice, he is going to be in the Sixth Street Theaters.

Um and a rama, so we're excited to see that.

Umgratulations to my fellow aldermen.

Uh, it will be an exciting time for you.

It will be hard work.

Um, no matter how many people voted for you after today, you're gonna have to uh convince them that you're worthy to stay in these seats.

I was told uh you know, the minute you're elected, your support drops uh immediately.

So I don't know if that's necessarily true, but good advice to keep your constituents and keep the public at the forefront of everything that you do.

Thank you.

From the sixth, Alder Weiner.

Thank you.

I'm a little out of character, but tonight I actually have a speech prepared, and then I want to share a little story.

But before I do anything, I want to recognize that my youngest son, Mike, is here with his wife and my two grandchildren, Liam and Ella.

Mike was six years old when I first was elected to City Council, and now my grandson is almost six years old.

He's five.

Um so it's been a long time that that uh I've been serving in this capacity.

So tonight marks my 12th swearing-in ceremony here in these chambers.

Twelve times I have stood before this body, raised my right hand, swore an oath to the constitution, and made a promise to the people that I serve.

The people that I lovingly call my peeps, regardless of their party or who they voted for.

And I want you to know this never gets old.

Not once, not ever, not even close.

There is something about this moment, the weight of it that reminds me exactly why I do this work.

Democracy is not abstract, it isn't a textbook, some compare it to making sausage.

Not pretty, nor should it be.

That oath is a promise to put this community before politics, to put residents before special interest, and to make decisions based on what I believe is right, not what it what is easy.

I do this because, with all its warts and flaws, I have loved this city for 74 years.

And there were moments in this race when the outcome was anything but certain.

I want to thank the other guy, Nate Ortiz.

If not for him, I would not have been reminded how much I love doing the doors, talking one-on-one with people who may or may not choose me to be their voice on city matter matters, their representative.

Even with those that I may disagree, we have far more in common than not.

16 votes, which tells us all every vote matters.

My friends, my family, my neighbors who knocked doors in the cold, who made phone calls, who showed up when it mattered, who believe that district six deserve to have a voice that cannot be bought or directed by anyone.

You carried me across the finish line, and the seat belongs to you as it does to me, as much as it does to me.

So tonight I took the oath of office for the twelfth time, and I carry with me the same conviction that I had the first time to be a strong independent voice for everyone in the 6th district.

And I carry one more thing, and that is a deep and humble, humbling gratitude.

Thank you.

Thank you to each of you that continue to show up to be the wind in my sails.