Williams Says 'It's Time for a Change'

The following are the prepared remarks delivered by Mayor Anthony A. Williams on Thursday at the Hillcrest Recreation Center in Southeast Washington. The mayor told supporters he will not seek reelection.

Let me begin by thanking all of my supporters and everyone for coming out here today.

Seven years ago, on beautiful Kingman Island, not far from here, I began my candidacy for Mayor of the District of Columbia. Most of us remember the state of our city on that day.

We were under the thumb of the Control Board. We were bankrupt -- our finances a wreck. We lost 5,000 residents every year. Too many of our agencies languished in receivership.

City services, like garbage pickup and street paving, were abysmal. Potholes sat unfilled. Our DMV was long on lines, short on service. Telephones would ring unanswered, and customer service was unheard of.

Revenues were down. Spending was out of control. Our downtown was a ghost town, a place people feared after dark. As a city, we were closed for business. Homes were abandoned. Crime was sky high. And, worst of all, the reins of city government were being pulled by Congress -- instead of by citizens in charge of their own destiny.

But we rose up. We harnessed the energy of many. We abandoned old ideas and ushered in new ones. We put our house back in order. We sent the control board packing, two years ahead of schedule.

Agencies emerged from receivership. We balanced eight budgets in a row. We now have a large surplus, and a $300 million rainy day fund to protect citizens if the economy turns sour. We repaired our relationship with the federal government.

We returned our rightful elected leaders to the Wilson Building.

City services rose from the basement to the top floor. We launched the Mayor's Call Center, which has responded to more than 1 million service requests. We went from junk bond status to an "A" bond rating. We created thousands of new homeowners. We boosted our number of police to 3,900, trained them better and reduced violent crime by 34 percent. We created the best municipal Web site in the country.

Together, we lifted up a city that had fallen into disrepair. Together, we spread economic development across all eight wards. Together, we created a government that actually responds to citizen requests. And together, we built a financial house with a firm foundation.

A few weeks ago, our city was among the first to step forward and reach out to the people of New Orleans -- offering food, shelter, health care, job assistance, education, and most of all, compassion. Seven years ago, such a mobilization was impossible.