The Mayor’s statement as delivered before today’s November Financial Plan update follows:

“Let me first begin by offering my congratulations to President-Elect Obama. This is clearly a historic day for America and a great day because I think it shows how far our country has come.

“Senator Obama’s victory is built on those who struggled and died for civil rights over the past two centuries and it was built on the hard work of his millions of supporters, including one that we miss very much here, Terence Tolbert. But it’s a great tribute to Terence that Senator Obama carried Nevada, where he was working. And the last time I was out in Nevada two months ago I met with Terence and he was so proud of the work that he was doing and so optimistic and it’s just a great tragedy that he didn’t live to see the fruition of his great dreams and all his work.

“Senator Obama ran on the idea of uplifting this country and moving us forward, and all of us have a responsibility now that the election is over to help him do that because we face some very difficult times ahead. But I think you are going to see this country pull together – both major parties and all of those in the middle. Democracy has worked, we’ve spoken, we’ve picked a new leader, and we should all do everything we can to help him tackle the difficult problems that face us all. I think during the campaign both Senator Obama and Senator McCain tried to address those issues; it is very difficult to do where you only have a few seconds in a press conference or a meeting or have to do it in a stump speech.

“Now Senator Obama has to do the hard work of making difficult decisions and leading our Congress and being the head of mainly the only superpower left in this world, and we have an obligation to help people. And I think he’s more than up to the task, and I think we’re going to be very pleased. But he cannot do it alone and it’s incumbent on all of us to help him.”