Scott Lang makes acceptance speech
This article appeared on November 8, 2005 in the Standard Times
Scott Lang took to the stage for his acceptance speech as a jubilant crowd cheered him on following the pummeling he gave Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. wracking up 15,673 to the mayor’s 7,601.
He first spoke about his wife, Gig Lan. “She would go to one neighborhood. I would go to another,” he said. “Of the 68 percent vote we got tonight I claim 8 percent Gig can claim 60.”
“My three kids have done everything they possibly can to facilitate in anyway they can. My son Nate drove back and forth from New York to help out. My son Andy, in Kalamazoo, Mich. is responsible for all these young people I see here tonight. I want to thank Andy, as well. And last but not least, I need to thank my youngest, beautiful girl Sarah talked to bloggers each and everyday through the website.
Let me just say this, I also thank my brother Brian, my sister-in-law Brenda and nephew Adam. Brian and I, along with our wives, have gone through raising kids to helping our parents. My hat goes off to everyone to pull together. In reality it’s all about our parents, our kids and our families. My other relatives are here, who you know very well, because they worked tirelessly.
My ah, my sister-in law laura, my brohter-in-law Michael. their two twins Evan and Morgan and their beautiful daughter Maureen worked every weekend going door to door.
Along the campaign trail I had many, many thoughts, some of the thoughts that I had were about life lessons caring for my mom and dad, I’ve gone to pick up the phone to say this is the endeavor I was involved with to talk with them. Each and everyone of us have those we loved, the people who helped us and then left us. That’s drove me quite a bit during this campaign.
Let talk about where we are tonight. First, I have so many friends in this room, friends for 27 years and friends I have met today. As much as anyone could for standing next to me in this campaign over the last 13 and a half weeks. This campagin wasn’t 13.5 weeks in the making but this was a life in the making every day in and out over the past 57 years. That’s why voters, because we all, each and every day put our shoes on in the same way every day. We all go to work in the same way. Common sense and going back to the kitchen table and saying how can we go about resolving the problems in this city.
Lets talk about rolling our sleeves up. I gratiously received a call from the mayor congratulating our campaign on the win. The mayor served this city for 8 years, we owe him gratitude for being a public servant. He pledged everything he can to bring about the orderly, efficient and very effective transition to turn the city government back to the people.
I made no promises during the campaign I made some committment. I made a commitment that we would work form the neighborhoods up that means I will work with each and every one of you to identified the problesm in the neighborhoods. I am going to need your help each and every day, don’t leave here tonight thinking the job is done, the four walls of the fishermen don’t define this campaign, we have to reach out to each and every citizen in this city to have them engage to solve problems of this city. I pledge to help unite this city, tonight was the first step in uniting the city.
After the primary I said there is a seat at the table for everyone who voted for Matt Morrissey, a seat at the table for everyone who voted for Dennis Dalliere, everyone who voted for Mark Howland, Michael Jansen. And there is a seat at the table for everyone who voted for the mayor, and Mayor Kalisz. We need your help to unify the city we need your help to solve the problems. I told the mayor I need his help along the way.