Reverend clergy; members of City Council; my fellow Mayors; members of Congress; members of the Legislature; elected officials; labor leaders; honored guests, family, friends, and most importantly: the great people of Bayonne – Welcome!

Today our community gathers to mark a new beginning, a fresh start, and a chance to make things right.

While I am honored to have your support, and truly appreciate the gravity of being the first woman elected Mayor of Bayonne, today is not about me. 
It’s not about the people on this stage.

And it’s not even about the people in this room.

It’s about the future of Bayonne.

It’s about restoring the public’s trust in their local government.

And it’s about the hard work needed to overcome the challenges that have plagued our City for far too long.

While we must confront the challenges we've inherited, we must look even more intently into the future, and we must ACTIVELY CHOOSE to build a better Bayonne.

This starts with leadership that doesn’t just hear concerns, but actually LISTENS to them and takes action.

From 1st Street to 63rd Street, the new City Council and I have had hundreds of conversations with our neighbors about out-of-control development and the ongoing deterioration of neighborhood character. With that in mind, today I’m proud to announce that my administration will be taking immediate steps to commence work on a new Master Plan.

This new plan will be developed through extensive public participation to ensure it reflects a roadmap for responsible development that aligns with the wants, needs, and values of our community – NOT those of self-interested developers.

In addition, in just a few short weeks, my administration, with the support of the new City Council, will be putting forth an Ordinance to ban all prospective data centers from Bayonne.

Bayonne's future should be determined by our residents—not by speculation or uncertainty.

We must end the uncertainty, take a definitive stance, and reserve our rights as a City going forward.

In addition to concerns about development, my colleagues and I regularly field concerns about how Bayonne looks and feels.

Plain and simple, EVERYONE must be held accountable – and that means EVERYONE.

Today I commit to you that where we can improve city services like street cleaning, parks maintenance, and litter collection – they will be done.

However, it is important to note that City government can’t do this alone.

All of Bayonne’s stakeholders must do their part.

So, whether you’re an absentee landlord, or a business owner, or a resident – if you choose to blight your neighborhood, disrupt quality of life, or disturb your neighbors by your failure to maintain your property – you are in for a rude awakening.

Within the next several weeks, my administration will be putting forth a plan to restore property maintenance and code enforcement.

It has been a long time coming, and this will be a challenging process - But it is necessary to safeguard property values, and to ensure our City looks and feels cared for.

In the end, this is very simple. You speak, and we listen.

This is only the beginning.

Over the next four years, we will prove that government can once again be responsive, transparent, and accountable.

It’s my honor to finally give residents back their seat at the table.

Thank you for this opportunity.

God bless you all. And God bless and protect Bayonne.