Posted on 06/19/2006 3:39:25 PM PDT by SmithL
OAKLAND -- An ebullient Mayor-elect Ron Dellums today embraced voters' endorsement of his vision to make the city a model, saying he will soon set up citizen groups to help him deal with the city's public schools, crime, economic development and other issues when he takes office Jan. 1.
"It is a responsibility I accept with honor, humility and optimism," the progressive former congressman, 70, said at a news conference that was his first public appearance since the June 6 election. "We can solve the problems of Oakland. We can be a great city."
His chief opponent in the race -- City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente -- on Saturday congratulated Dellums, who won 50.18 percent of the vote. De La Fuente won the support of 32.99 percent of 83,675 total votes cast, followed by City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel and three other candidates.
The race took nearly two weeks to decide because thousands of ballots were not counted on Election Day and Dellums had remained just below the threshold needed to win without a November runoff. Dellums said despite the nail-biting count of absentee and provisional ballots, he had remained confident he would win outright.
"I was the calmest person in Oakland these last 10 days," Dellums said.
He will succeed two-term Mayor Jerry Brown, who is running for state Attorney General.
The former congressman, speaking at the downtown Oakland Marriott Hotel to a crowd that included supporters as well as reporters, said his first task will be to set up a transition team and put out a call to residents to fill vacancies on city boards and commissions and among city staff when appropriate.
In the coming weeks, he said, he would also guide the creation of task forces to address the city's key issues, including the environment,...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I know where you mean, yes, and rejoice in your safety :-)
It can be another New Orleans!
Oakland will be fixed up due to gentrification, but Red Dullems will take the credit.
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