(Check out our online slideshow of the ceremony.) HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Sparse flurries foreshadowed confetti in front of the State Capitol yesterday afternoon as a crowd of more than 7,000 braved the cold to witness the inauguration of Ed Rendell as Pennsylvania's 45th governor. The brisk air was charged with a tense pregame excitement, heightened by the booming, spirited tunes of two marching bands in full regalia. The spectators, bundled in hats and scarves, were prepared to take in a victory, and all rose as Rendell finally stepped out onto the field. The Honorable Marjorie Rendell, the new First Lady of Pennsylvania, administered the oath of office to her husband, officially installing him as governor. They sealed the deal with a kiss and then embraced son Jesse, 22, as the crowd responded with resounding applause only somewhat muffled by mittens and gloves. A beaming Rendell removed his scarf and jacket despite the frigid temperature and stepped up to the podium. "I've never given a speech in an overcoat, and I don't intend to start today," Rendell said. "It's also a symbol to you that this will be a short speech, but hopefully an important one." The tone of Rendell's address -- delivered to a crowd that included former Pennsylvania governors Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker, state senators and representatives and University President Judith Rodin -- was both optimistic and determined, full of ambitious objectives. After delivering earnest thanks to various attendees, Rendell made it clear that he knows what is expected of him, expounding on his vision of "a Pennsylvania that can be the comeback story of the decade." Rendell, a Penn alumnus, devoted a significant amount of time to the major problems facing the state in order to stress his willingness to tackle them. He addressed the issues of budget deficit, economic revitalization and education reform, along with the matters of population loss and malpractice crisis. "The days of short-term fixes are over," he said. "The economy has not recovered, and the time has come to pay the piper." The new governor reassured his constituents that "short-term pain," if endured, would surely lead to "long-term gain." Rendell also pledged to remedy the state's ailing school system. "If we fail to adequately invest in our children, then we will succeed only in purchasing Pennsylvania's economic failure on the installment plan," he said. While education reform will necessarily require money to succeed, Rendell played up his intention to alter "a property tax system that is outmoded and unfair."
Unity was the concluding theme of Rendell's address. He called on Republicans and Democrats to work together in the name of public interest. "The politics of division, of pitting east against west, urban versus rural and people against people will have no place in my administration," he said. Following a rendition of the national anthem by 9-year-old Timmy Kelley of Philadelphia, there was a collective bowing of heads and ensuing remarks by three religious leaders -- Rabbi Solomon Isaacson, Bishop Zedekiah Grady and Reverend James Hall. Isaacson gave a benediction, pronouncing the prayer in both Hebrew and English. After a fanfare of trumpets, Grady delivered the invocation. Following Grady, Hall delivered a reading of biblical selections. The finale was a youthful rendition of "America the Beautiful" by the Keystone State Boychoir accompanied by a whirl of red, white and blue confetti. The response to Rendell's upbeat ceremony was overwhelmingly positive. People were in attendance from all regions of the state, with quite a few hailing from Philadelphia and the outlying suburbs. Michael Horwits, a 2002 Fels School of Government graduate and teacher at Roxborough High School, brought his "Student Voices" government class to the ceremony. "I think [Rendell]has a vision," Horwits said. "That's the most important thing." "I have grown up with [Rendell] and seen him govern the city," Philadelphia resident Muhammed Azim said. "I hope that he'll turn the state around the same way he did with the city." The schedule of inaugural events also included the swearing in of Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll and a parade through the city.
