For documentation, I’m posting his speech. I believe that any promises politicians make should be followed through on, so I”m pasting the contents of his speech here to ensure that the internets don’t mysteriously eat his words. I have put key passages into bold.

State, local elected and appointed officials and most importantly, family, friends and the
residents of Hartford— I am honored and humbled by your trust you have placed in me to
serve as your Mayor for another four years.

We’ve come a long way in the last six years, but the journey is far from over. In order to
frame a vision for the future, I look to the beautiful phrase that defines the city seal of our
government: “After the Clouds… the Sun.”

The sun is shining on Hartford. Together, we have ushered in a new era of hope,
inclusiveness and progress. You can see and touch the accomplishments in every
neighborhood. There’s new housing, new retail, new schools and there’s much more:
1. Crime is down to historic lows
2. Our school system is aggressively raising academic standards so that more of our
kids go to college
3. And our neighborhoods display pride with new streetscapes and new businesses.

But we cannot afford to rest on those achievements alone. Tonight, I will share my
vision for the next four years and I invite the help and cooperation of residents,
businesses and elected officials to:
1. Bring our communities together,
2. Create more opportunities for our residents
3. Increase business development
4. And build a brighter future for our children.

Hartford must be a city where there is fair and equal access to affordable health care. As
many as 34,000 uninsured people live in Hartford, that’s almost one-third of our
residents. To address this, I began the Mayor’s Healthy Communities Initiative. This has
helped the uninsured find a medical home. But without the government expanding funds
to Husky and similar programs, we cannot reach enough people and we cannot afford to
wait.

That is why I am convening a health insurance task force made up of healthcare
providers, insurers, and medical experts to report back in 180 days on how the city can
partner with the private sector to provide affordable insurance for working families who
are not eligible for federal and state programs.

This approach will not replace the need for more comprehensive reform at the national or
state level. But, as a caring community, we must explore all options to provide much
needed access to health services and give our residents the additional security and hope
that they deserve.

Hartford’s economic health is important too and I pledge to continue our positive
momentum. All across the city, you can see new public and private development:
1. New retail on Albany Avenue and Park Street
2. A new school in Blue Hills
3. New Public Housing at Dutch Point
4. And a new senior center on Maple Avenue

No, we must make sure the progress continues.

This year, we will make our first investment from our Neighborhood Development Fund
by targeting some of Hartford’s most stubborn blight. With seed money from the city,
we hope to leverage more than $100 million in additional investment in our
neighborhoods over the next few years.

The Hartford 2010 planning process identified a critical need to tie North Hartford to
development Downtown. In the next six months, I will unveil a comprehensive
redevelopment plan for this area stretching from the empty Clarion Hotel on Constitution
Plaza to Myrtle Street ion Asylum Hill. This plan will enable the city to condemn and
acquire blighted commercial properties in the area and begin to prepare it for new
investment.

Any discussion of Downtown needs to address the question of the future of the Civic
Center, now known as the “XL Center.” In 2013— that’s five years away— the state
turns the Civic Center over to the City of Hartford. At that point, the city, state, and
region will have a clear choice: Invest in a world-class coliseum or let the current facility
face the same fate as the now demolished New Haven Coliseum.

Over the past year, we conducted a study to determine the feasibility of making the Civic
Center the home to a professional sports franchise. The good news is that with
significant corporate support, a new NHL or NBA team— as well as our UCONN
Huskies— could be playing in a new arena in Hartford. However, the price tag for a new
world-class facility that would serve the people of our state could be as much as $400
million. That, my friends, we simply cannot afford without significant participation from
the private sector, region and state. Any such investment should complement a larger
community development strategy that takes Hartford to the next level, building on the
“Six Pillars Project.”

Other competitive regions have done the same. We should learn from and follow their
examples.

To address this significant challenge, in the coming weeks, I will assemble a task force
that will explore the level of state, corporate, and regional support for building a new
arena. Hartford’s corporate community and I will invite the Governor, the President of
the Senate, and the Speaker of the House to appoint representatives to serve on the task
force. A Joint planning process will ensure that when a state of the art facility is built, it
will meet the needs of Connecticut for decades to come.

Any new development in our city must include good jobs with good wages and
healthcare for Hartford residents. Thanks to a strong partnership with unions and women
and minority business owners, we have created hundreds of new jobs in the past six
years. You have my pledge that we will continue to build on this solid foundation!

We must also continue to chart a bold new course in our school system. We are pursuing
a reform plan that is based on generating real academic results which connects kids to
college and the workplace of the 21st Century. There’s a sense of urgency here. That’s
why we are going to take the reform effort to a new level by creating smaller class sizes,
giving parents more choice, and holding our school system accountable for results.

My friends, I respect and honor the trust you have placed in me to lead our city for the
next four years. I have always regarded public service as a vocation, not merely a job. I
have always tried to conduct myself in a way that will inspire others to pursue this
vocation in their lives: Service to others before self. Now, to encourage the highest
standards of conduct in our governing process, I am proposing two reforms this evening
for consideration by the City Council:

First, the appointment of an independent ethics counsel reporting to the city’s ethics
commission that will assist the commission with its work and provide advice and
education to city employees on adhering to Hartford’s code of ethics.

Second, I will ask the City Council to consider adopting public financing for the
campaigns of Mayor, Council and Treasurer. The city should take potential conflict out
of the way we finance political campaigns.

There are other important issues that my administration will concentrate on during the
next four years:
1. Fighting to fix the broken property tax system in our state
2. Working with neighboring towns on a regional transportation system
3. Linking the Busway with the airport and rail service in a seamless fashion.

We must find ways to give us a competitive edge to promote smart growth and to
encourage economic development.

We must create ways to showcase that Hartford is a diverse city that is:
1. One of the country’s premiere cities for arts, culture, and history
2. The largest job center of the state
3. The Insurance Capital of the World
4. And a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family

My friends, the clouds over Hartford have lifted and the sun of progress is streaming in.
Together we have accomplished so much, and together we will accomplish much more.
We will not hide our light under a basket but place it on a stand so all may see. Yes We
Can Hartford! Si Se Puede! God Bless our city and thank you!

I know it’s just a speech, but the teacher in me is aghast at the lack of specific details.