Mayoral Race 1999: 'Time to? bring this city together'

I would like to thank my Republican opponent Sam Katz. I want to thank him because he ran a brilliant campaign. He ran a brilliant campaign. He tested our capacity and our work ethic. He made us work in a way that all of us can know that we have really earned this victory.? He presented quite a challenge and you know, in this business, we all benefit from a campaign that takes the high road, a campaign that focuses on the issues that are important to our city. And though we differ in our approach? I don't think any of us question that Sam and his family care about this city and have a lot to offer.? I can't say enough for the help that was given us by our great mayor, Ed Rendell. Ed Rendell didn't just write a check or two, although he did write a check or two.? He shared with us the benefit of his experience as a candidate, as a person who was not only a great mayor but a person who understands the political process in this city and in this state in a way that is almost unparalleled by most of us. He has been an invaluable help to us and we appreciate it very much. There are a couple of people that I would like to highlight at this time because they have been very, very special. And I want to name at this time, two of my primary opponents -- Marty Weinberg and Dwight Evans. I promise you people, I absolutely promise you, without their support, we would not be standing here today.? Folks, the election is over. It's over and we are grateful for a great victory. But it is now time for us to bring this city together. It is now time for us to bring this city together. It's time for us to set aside our differences. It is time for us to come together as one great city, to make the progress that we need to make during the course of this next millennium. You know, I've been in this business for a long, long time. And I have not been perfect. I really haven't been perfect. But I have never tried never intentionally to do anything that was against the interests of our great city and I've never tried to offend anybody in any way, shape or form. As I embark on this new responsibility, I'm going to ask everyone here, including all of those members of City Council, other elected officials, other folks who may not have been supportive of me, I'm going to ask you to give us a chance. Give us a chance. Give us an opportunity to provide the leadership in this city. Give us an opportunity to help this city reach its potential. We all love this great city. We sometimes differ politically. But in the end, isn't it the people, the interest of the people that counts most?