Mayor Mark Begich
Second Inaugural Address
Noon; June 30, 2006; Performing Arts Center

Fellow citizens of Anchorage: thank you for the trust you have placed in me to lead Alaska’s largest city for another three years.

I am proud to serve as the first mayor born and raised in this great community. I love Anchorage. And I love to say so.

A city of rich cultural diversity, with nearly 100 different languages spoken among the students in our schools. A city of spectacular beauty nestled between the magnificent peaks of the Chugach and the moderating seas of Cook Inlet.

A city where you can land a 40-pound King salmon downtown, and then walk three blocks to attend a Broadway play - still in your hip waders.

There’s no other city like it - and no place I’d rather be.

The journey of unlimited possibilities we continue today will be successful if we unite behind a common purpose – building a great city for the 21st century. That’s what I want to discuss with you today.
But first, let me introduce someone very special to me - my best friend, the mother of our son, the love of my life - my wife, Deborah. And of course, our son, Jacob. I am also happy to be joined by the extended Begich and Bonito families. Their love and support – and the calming influence of Deb’s mother’s on Jacob – is deeply appreciated.

A family member I want to honor individually is a woman who raised six children, who taught hundreds of young Alaskans as a public school teacher, who helped lead her party and state, and who helped me see what public service is all about – my mother, Pegge Begich.

Thanks also to Master Hitchcock, the Reverend Connie Jones, to our MC Janie Leask, and to the many performers for being part of this ceremony.

I am pleased to acknowledge my predecessors in this office, including several who join us today. Each has helped shape this great city during his time in and out of office – Jack Roderick, George Sullivan, Tony Knowles, Tom Fink, Rick Mystrom and George Wuerch.

I also see Kenai Borough Mayor John Williams – thanks for being here, John.

Five days from now, our nation pauses to celebrate the 230th anniversary of America’s independence. We will pay tribute to the sacrifice and contributions of those who came before us to build the greatest nation on earth.

Here in Alaska, we also deeply cherish those who preceded us, and often honor them with title of unique respect: pioneer.

To the indigenous Dena’ina Athabaskan, the first inhabitants of this great land, we thank you for the privilege to dwell in your traditional lands.

To the hearty railroaders who erected Anchorage as a tent city on Ship Creek’s mud flats, we admire your perseverance.

To the courageous servicemen and women who defended America’s “guardian of the North” during World War II and the Cold War – and to the thousands of today’s residents who wear our nation’s uniform – we salute you.

To the pipeline workers and grocery clerks, to the service industry employees and professionals, to each of the pioneers who helped build this great city – we are grateful for your contributions.

Our obligation to all of them in this first decade of the new millennium is to add to the foundation they have laid; to build a better Anchorage for this and future generations.

That is my agenda as your mayor for the next three years. An agenda I summarized three years ago in three simple words: community, security, and prosperity.

When it comes to prosperity, we already have a solid start. Our economy is humming, with 18 consecutive years of growth, thousands of new jobs on the horizon and what may be a record-setting construction boom.

Anchorage is enjoying a renaissance not seen since Project ‘80s, with new public facilities, revitalized neighborhoods and improved roads.

Here in downtown, we are strengthening our city’s heart with a new civic and convention center, expanded museum, Winter City avenues and visitor-friendly Town Square and Park Strip.

In the university-medical district, we are meeting Alaskans most basic needs with state-of-the-art health care and growing the partnership with our universities.

In Mountain View, we are transforming one of Anchorage’s oldest neighborhoods into a vibrant district of arts, culture and quality housing.

In midtown, we are expanding our role as the regional headquarters of commerce as we welcome the growing role of our state’s Native corporations as players in the global marketplace.

At the airport, we are fulfilling the promise of “air crossroads of the world” as 650 cargo flights each week transit our modern facilities.

At Anchorage’s port, we are doubling its size with 135 new acres so we can fulfill our designation as America’s 15th strategic seaport and serve the growing needs of Anchorage and the state.

In Girdwood, we continue progress on 1,000 new acres of residential development as we convert Glacier-Winner Creek into a world-class, four-season resort.

In Chugiak-Eagle River, we are creating development opportunities with new housing and parks, while accommodating the community’s unique lifestyle.

As many Anchorage residents prosper in this era of robust growth, we must not lose sight of our obligation to address the challenges that face seniors on fixed incomes, children lacking health care, those surviving on the streets.
Over the past few years, Anchorage has been beset by the dual challenges of providing services for a growing population, while absorbing budget cuts imposed by the state. Many of our citizens are suffering from the burden of rising property taxes. We have provided some tax relief to individuals and small businesses, and we will do more.

The Legislature responded to our call for a share of our state’s enormous oil wealth, and we will return that to Anchorage citizens next year as property tax relief.

As Alaska’s largest community, I believe we have obligations beyond our municipal borders – to ensure the well-being of rural Alaska. It is the source of much of what makes urban Alaska prosperous.

I was proud to appoint in my office Anchorage’s first rural affairs coordinator. We’ll continue our efforts to involve the scores of ethnic groups which comprise our city’s rich cultural diversity.

 No obligation is more important than security - making sure our citizens are safe in their homes and on our streets. That’s why, with the support of the Assembly, we are half-way through an ambitious effort to transform our law enforcement and public safety operations.

The 40 new police officers and 19 new fire fighters we have added are successfully preventing and fighting crime, and improving response times.

We recognize there is more work to be done, especially stopping gangs and those who prey on our most vulnerable. And we know making our community safe is not just a police responsibility. It’s a community responsibility. So parents, the faith community, civic and cultural groups: please redouble your efforts to guide our young people toward productive lives.

The great British statesman, Sir Winston Churchill, noted that: “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

As we prosper from the enormous wealth of this great land we call home, let us recommit ourselves to the calling of public service.

Let us put aside partisan differences to take bold, courageous action for the common good. Let us embrace the enduring values of those who preceded us and leave a legacy for the next generation. Let us join together for a common purpose – building a great city in which every citizen prospers.

A city in which all children have the opportunity to realize their God-given potential. A city of safe, diverse neighborhoods, richer by our differences.

A city of Anchorage families and individual Alaskans, united to bring out the best in each of us.
Thank you for joining with me to keep Anchorage headed in the right direction; to continue on our journey of unlimited possibilities. May God bless our great city.

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