Here was my view of today’s inaugural festivities:
Mayor Parker administers the oath of office to Council members
Click the photo for a larger version. Tiffany and I were seated next to Martha, who has some pictures as well as a post about Mayor Parker’s inaugural address. It was an honor and a privilege to be at the Wortham Center for this historic event. We were there as guests of Council Member Melissa Noriega, to whom I would like to express my gratitude.
Here’s a roundup of the coverage that I’ve seen:
Houston Politics
Hair Balls
Bay Area Houston
David Ortez
Nancy Sims
Chron
KTRK
The inaugural concert at Discovery Green is this evening starting at 6 PM; my advice would be to dress warmly.
Two things I’ll add to all this: In Parker’s speech, she mentioned that she had been asked what city she would compare Houston to. She said she thought about it and decided it was “the Houston of my imagination”, in which (among other things) different law enforcement agencies worked together seamlessly; a robust transit system was available for all who needed it; the high school dropout rate was “insignificant”; our air was clean; and neighborhoods had the ability to preserve the things that made them special. Also, while she spent plenty of time talking about the challenges that we faced, she specifically mentioned that she “inherited a city that’s in good shape”, and thanked Mayor White for that.
All in all, a wonderful event. If you were there as well, please leave a comment with your impressions. The new Mayor and new Council get down to their regular order of business on Wednesday.