 the President of the United States and Secretary of Youth. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my very distinct pleasure and honor to introduce to you the President of the United States. Well, I'm here first to congratulate all of you. And it's a true pleasure to welcome you here, to pay tribute to you and the public and the private sector leaders who've displayed so much creativity, initiative, and tenacity in forging successful public-private partnerships in communities across the country. The idea that local government and private sector should work in harmony in tackling serious problems is about as old as our republic. But somewhere along the line in recent years, the people began looking to Washington as the solution to the problems. And after decades of relying on federal solutions, I think the people are beginning to notice that many of the problems are not only still with us, but in some cases, they're getting worse. When we got here almost two years ago now, we promised that we would do our best to bring resources and responsibilities back to the people, to levels of government that were closer to them and more responsive to their needs. Today, we're recognizing a program which activates the community forces that are most efficient at meeting local needs. Local government and private sector links of leaders who best know the locale, the personalities, and the standards in the area. And while the federal government is playing an important role, it is not the dominant partner, as has been the case far too often in the past. There are those, of course, who are suspicious of this approach. They honestly believe that community-centered programs can't work unless the heavy federal hand is involved. Well, that's just another way of saying that there are folks here in Washington who have some kind of monopoly on talent and compassion. And while we recognize the federal government has many fine people, so does local government and the private sector. And they've been sitting on the bench too long. It's time not only to get them in the game, but to recognize they're really, maybe I should be putting that, you are really the first string. We found that in towns and cities across the country, there are hundreds of examples of local people, government, business, community activists who are getting together, agreeing on a course of action, and then moving forward to solve long, festering problems. It's almost like the description of America that was left us by Alexis de Tocqueville, that young man philosopher from France who visited America 150 years ago and chronicled his observations in the classic book Democracy in America. He said, towns are like great meeting houses with all the inhabitants as members. In them, the people wield immense influence over their magistrates and often carry their desires into execution without intermediaries. Well, that's the kind of spirit that we want to encourage. And I think it's the kind of spirit that you represent. You've demonstrated there is no such thing as it can't be done. That was shown in Ohio where a county lost a traditional employment base, and instead of giving up, formed its own economic development team to stimulate new commercial and industrial activity. Another project linked two major tourist attractions by eliminating a shabby and deteriorated three block corridor that separated them. This resulted in one of the Southwest's finest commercial districts. Still another project in a metropolitan area used block grant and private funds to make the rehabilitation of multifamily apartment buildings attractive to owners, thus expanding the housing available to low and moderate income families. Today, we're recognizing the most noteworthy public-private partnerships to thank you for what you've done and to encourage others to follow your example. The projects chosen for top honors are Savannah George's Victorian District Project, Wichita, Kansas Elks Training Center for the Handicapped, Louisville, Kentucky's Galleria Project, Boulevard County, Mississippi's Industrial Development Project, Pascagoula, Mississippi's Adventure Island Playground, New York City's Participation Loan Program, New York South Bronx 200 Local Development Corporation, Schenectady, New York's Canal Square, Columbus, Ohio's Innovative Grant Program, Siota County, Ohio's Economic Development Corporation, and San Antonio, Texas' Alamo Plaza River Linkage Project. I can't help but add here, and this one isn't one that's getting recognition. I've read all of those so far that recognized here today, but I got a letter the other day from a man. You don't very often hear him saying nice things about his brother-in-law. But this man wrote to tell me that in a little town in Illinois where the principal source of employment, a factory, had closed, rather than take it lying down his brother-in-law, one of the employees who'd worked nowhere else as an adult but at that factory collected some of the other employees. And they just started scrounging. And they got permission to take over an old building from an elderly lady who had inherited it in an estate. They scrounged around buying secondhand machinery and so forth. And they now have a successful metal processing plant owned by these former employees of the factory that couldn't make it and went broke. Well, this is just a sample of what's happening. And congratulations to all of you and thank you for letting me play a part here today. Brightens my day. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. What we'd like to do now is to present the public and the private sector representatives from those projects that you just alluded to and ask them to come forward from Savannah, Georgia, Mayor John Rosakis, and Mr. Lee Adler representing the Victorian District Project. And if we could allow the press, the room for the mayor and Mr. Adler, thank you. From our project in Wichita, Kansas, we have representing that project, Mr. William Lawrence, with the Kansas Elks Training Center for the Handicap. Bill, from our project in Louisville, Kentucky, we have representing the Galleria Project, Mr. Graham Brown from the Oxford Properties, and Mayor Harvey Sloan's plane is landing somewhere, hopefully, right now. From our project in Boulevard County, we have the president of the County Board of Supervisors, Mr. J. E. Bobo, and representing the private sector, Mr. Don Besseleur. From Project in Pasqualeusa, Mississippi, city of Pasqualeusa, Linda Rosa, and from the private sector, Dr. Robert Donald. From our city, a rather small city in the north, a newcomer to politics, representing the public sector, Mayor Ed Koch, and also representing the participation loan program, Michael Lappin, and the South Bronx 2000 Local Development Corporation, Mr. Howard Phipps. From Schenectady, New York, the Canal Square Project, we have Mayor Frank Ducey, and the private sector, Mr. LeGron-Saudrez. Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Tom Moody, and Mr. Barry Humphries, representing the Integrative Grant Program. From Portsmouth, Ohio, the Sciota Economic Development Corporation, we have the from the Sciota County Courthouse, Mr. Paul Griffin, and the president of the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, Mr. William Luby. From San Antonio, the Alamo Plaza, the linkage project, Mayor Pro Tem, Bernardo Urestes, and from the private sector, Mr. Alan Hardin, from Hardin Investment Associates. Mr. Secretary and Mr. President, this represents the public and private sector parties that we are very pleased to recognize today, and we want to thank you, Mr. President, and you, Mr. Secretary, for participating. Thank you both very, very much, and thank all of you for attending. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. One gentleman here reminded me of my days back with the General Electric Theater and presented me with a souvenir of those days, and I told him I was never that young. Someone has asked me once what it's like to see myself on the late, late show, and I told him it's like looking at a sun I never knew I had. Thank you very much.