 Well thank all of you who graciously set aside the time to watch our state of the city address this evening. As we all know it's been made repeatedly clear throughout the past year that we can enjoy the benefit of assembling in the body and in presence at this time. I ask that we all at fairly least embrace the value and purpose of assembling in spirit and in cause. At this time each year during our preceding state of the city ceremonies I would look out into the audience and recognize all those who have been important to our city, members of my family, and those who continue to be the guiding lights for us as we conduct our professional duties and responsibilities. I dropped some corny jokes and maybe get an eye roll and a smirk from our daughters. Two weeks ago I stood in this beautiful and historic chamber and formally announced I will not seek reelection as mayor of Colombia. As such this will be my final state of the city address. It's important this address serves the purpose of letting our citizens know how our city is faring at this moment in history. This address will also afford me the opportunity of the chance to reflect some of my time as your mayor and provide a few insights on the road ahead. Though many of you are probably much more comfortable than I am at home hopefully not suited up but relaxed and in your living room I still promise to not keep you long this evening. I still quite vividly remember my very first day in Colombia August 17th 1987 checking into the old and outdated dormitory at the University of South Carolina seeing the plaque commemorating that it was a project from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's work projects administration after the Great Depression. I was wearing a red sweatsuit that I purchased after working entire summer as a porter for a chef at the racetrack. I remember climbing the stairs to my third floor room at the dormitory. I remember my dad helping me to carry up the stairs a brand new black of footlocker that seemed at that time be full of bricks. It was filled with new things and also some hand me downs from my big brother. That same footlocker sits still much older now and worn in my garage today and because of Colombia is now filled with memories of amazing life that I could never have anticipated. I remember stepping into my dormitory meeting my roommate Christopher Coakley and after the hugs and kisses and my parents sipping me a couple of more dollars my dad my mom and my brother left me thinking as a first-generation college student that a kid you now on your own you've been given an opportunity that your parents and their parents and their parents before them could never have dreamed of but they all strived and struggled and worked and toiled for a young Steven to have I remember that day my first day in Colombia beginning what I thought would become a scary tale was foreign to me but that day my Columbia story began my parents taught me to be thankful to be humble and to thank God for many blessings in my life my parents also taught me as I'm sure your parents taught you to go to school to get a good education stay out of trouble I tried hard at that to work hard and treat people with dignity and respect and if you do those things Steve you'll be successful in life it's because of their lessons and because of each one of you that I've been able to live my American life right here my American dream right here in Columbia South Carolina spent the last decade traveling this country indeed the world telling people about my Columbia about the University of South Carolina the great Carnegie Research One University world-class business school top honors college and top flight programs I were blessed with two historically black colleges universities and Benedict College and Allen University both celebrating a century and a half of amazing accomplishment in building America we have one of the very best technical colleges in America Midlands Technical College and even tell them about my time as an adjunct professor for the fight in koalas at Columbia College I tell them that victory starts here at Fort Jackson the Army's largest and most dynamic training base in the world where the finest soldiers the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen is trained right here in our city I tell them that we're a cosmopolitan microcosm of the world boasting city citizens from nearly every single sovereign nation of the world speaking 90 different languages but I really love telling people about what happens when you leave the halls of our state house or leave campus or leave post you find the people of Columbia that you still find men who open doors for ladies you still find people who pull over for funerals we find people who aren't reticent about thanking God for the many blessings in our lives I tell them you can still find sweet tea in restaurants and you still find people who know the power of the two most important words in the English language and those words are very simply thank you thank you I came here tonight to say thank you Columbia thank you to my amazing colleagues mr. Davis thank you for being here although I asked you not to come thank you for being here I want to thank all of my colleagues for their amazing support and leadership over the last several months all of our council members I want to thank my colleagues who I'm honored to serve with for making the difficult rapid and momentous decisions that made allowed us to confront the unforeseen onset of the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis our council was one of the first if not the first to suspend normal operating procedures to transition to virtual meetings it might be fun to go back and watch some of those initial zoom meetings to see who had the most problems getting their cameras turned on or the mics turned on and sometimes we all still struggle with that a bit but I'll kill you kidding aside I really want to thank you all of our colleagues for the rapid role of our resilient Columbia economic sustainability relief packages which are essential to support our struggling small businesses these rapid economic measures could only have taken place because of the solid financial decisions and results of our prudent fiscal policies because we because we incurred budget surpluses in eight of the ten years preceding the crisis and fully restored our city's reserve fund which had been hard hit during the financial crisis we had the fiscal ability to keep valuable and essential city staff members on our payroll we'd have to furlough any of our staff as so many cities had and we did all that even as we reduced tax millage aggressively over the same period I want to thank you because of our stewardship your stewardship we could also suspend payments of utilities to our citizens who suddenly found themselves and their lives upended by the severe economic downturn and we made sure to keep the central services of water sewer and sanitation and operation we distributed free PPE to small businesses became one of the first cities in the country to offer broad testing a covert testing regime to our first responders and our employees on the thank you because of your leadership we had the means to fund our resilient Columbia economic sustainability plan which provided $1.4 million of emergency funds along with valuable information and resources to small businesses and individuals and watched office of business opportunities and our office of economic development shine and delivering these resources in record time I want to thank you for making this the difficult civic impact decisions to declare a state of emergency in March when the scope of the pandemic was still largely unknown when the move was maybe even unpopular followed by the subsequent curfew and stay home stay safe social distancing and isolation measures and then the summer the bold decision to impose a mask mandate I will always and forever maintain these measures were the right things to do to try and arrest and halt the spread of the virus to courage and leadership and as the virus continues to spread at alarming rates across the state I want to again thank the members of city council for making the difficult night times unpopular decisions others refused to make I will always maintain we did the right thing in the interest of public health everything we were able to do was because of the amazing ability of the very best public administrators and civil servants that America has to offer Teresa Wilson and her team have led and have always led with distinction and humility and I remain thankful for their incredible leadership I mentioned how Columbia is one of the very first cities major cities to quickly transition to virtual operations not just for city council but for a large portion of our staff and employees also we managed to rapidly adjust our financial capacity and operations to ensure that we did not furlough any of our staff even as the city revenues were decimated this swift administrative pivot would not have been possible without the incredible skill and guidance from our city manager our assistant city managers Clint Missy Jeff Henry Pam and our amazing 2300 team members here at the city I know you're watching virtually I want you to know that you have my deep respect and affection thankful to you for your leadership of the city during these very difficult times your inch instrumental in coordinating the swift adjustment that so many of our city personnel had to adapt to new virtual working conditions away from our designated city office buildings also want to thank our first responders who more who now more than ever put themselves at risk and in harm's way for the greater purpose of protecting the safety and health of our citizens the Columbia police department the Columbia fire department as well as our frontline public works staff that never missed a beat work diligently and safely to continue operations for our residents despite the enormous public health challenges that we face to help our city of Columbia first responders last law last summer we saw an inspiring partnership with the city our police department and local businesses through the peace of mind program by partnering a locally owned businesses and with privately raised funds local hotels designated safe and comfortable rooms provide first responders medical professionals in frontline city staff who work long shifts and challenging environments that might expose them to the coronavirus with these temporary resting places away from their homes had short-term quarantine spaces away from their families want to thank our police chief skip whole book for helping coordinate this and also my friend Sam Johnson for serving as a program chair also want to congratulate Columbia fire chief Aubrey Jenkins being sworn in as a new president of the South Carolina State Association of fire chiefs in December chief Jenkins who has served our city with distinction for decades as a first African-American recognized in that role and thank you Aubrey for a job well done in the first of in the face of adversity you are firefighters our fire marshals have stood in the gap for all Colombians indeed you have since the day that I walked into this office in 2010 I want to thank by name Jeff Palin and his amazing finance team for the continued commitment to prudent financial stewardship has resulted in being awarded the certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting by the government finance officers Association of the U.S. and Canada for six year in a row six years in a row to our friend Harry Tinsley a direct of emergency services I'm just gonna say two words simply amazing and suburb thank you Harry for the amazing leadership that you provide us in times of crisis my greatest appreciation goes to the citizens of Columbia and the Midlands our neighborhood and community leaders our business leaders I have to express my enormous thanks for showing such willingness to make quick changes to every aspect of your daily lives the way we gather work worship shop go to school or find the means for entertainment it is astounding and moving the ways our community came together if not in close proximity then in purpose and commitment when asked to look to the well-being and safety of others our resilient Columbia neighbors accepted the difficult measures of isolation and found purpose in working together towards the long-term health and wellness of each other and my brother's keeper when called upon our citizens are quick to respond to say we first and not me first to any of you who know me you know that I am proudly Sam and Maggie Benjamin's child my brother Sam and I have led the most fortunate lives wrapped in their arms still of our mom and dad thank you mommy thank you daddy I love you when God sent me the Andre nearly 20 years ago she brought with her Donald and Adrian gist with their love and support this chapter of our lives has been amazing they have been amazing supportive in-laws and I'm thankful for them to the Andre Bethany and Jordan Grace my son my moon and my stars I want to say thank you thank you for allowing me to serve the people of the city of Columbia oftentimes a great sacrifice to our family we have served together as team Benjamin and I could not have picked a better team I love you I'm so thankful for you I deeply regret that I can't look at these seats this front rows and especially see my kids and gauge their faces and in reactions I'm sure they have a whole lot to say and I'll get a report when I get home later tonight like many of you I miss I miss a simple joy in human interaction the look of person in the eye and see their joy and their pain a brohawk holding a friend's hand in complete silence over the loss of a loved one I think we all understand and appreciate now the power and intimacy that can only come from close proximity and nearness and I'm sure many of you like me my family our friends and business associates we feel a loss of that personal intimacy and long for its return together and only by working together will we get that back and I want to urge us to continue to do the things that we need to do to get it back when I presented this address one year ago I said we faced many challenges in 2019 which gave us aspirations for better days in 2020 let me repeat a better days in 2020 I think it's safe to say that 2020 did a complete mic drop in 2019 2020 has become something of a new reference point almost a pejorative for unprecedented historic levels of badness or disaster occurring unexpectedly and in the short period of time to truly appreciate what we all had to overcome last year you have to look through it look at it through the lens of historic reference when looking at the challenges impacting the nation the state and our city of Columbia of the last year we don't see just one or even two urgent crises but a confluence of three the greatest public health emergency since 1918 the greatest economic disruption certainly during an election year since 1932 and the greatest social unrest around societal and structural racism and systemic inequality since 1968 each of those crises and upheavals proved to be enormous disruptions that overcome by themselves but they occurred several decades apart 2020 forced us to experience all three of them all those challenges compressed into the overlapping span of one single year heard someone speak recently and suggested that it's like someone walks up to you and said your house is on fire they say oh and by the way there's a sinkhole in front of your house and hey there's a tornado coming down the street 2020 was that year for us but even in the face of these incredible challenges I stand here boldly to proclaim and say this with conviction the state of our city is strong our city and its people have prevailed in the face of incredible historic unprecedented adversity and challenges the city of Columbia and the remarkable people who make it their home display courage adaptability resilience and enormous resolve to do what was needed to be done in a larger interest of the greater public good over the last year I have witnessed and been repeatedly awed and humbled to see just how great our city is and our people are no mayor could be more thankful or proud a new flag adopted in 2020 speaks to the spirit of when our city was first charted more than 200 years ago senator John Lewis Jervais advocated for the city of Benin Columbia the personification of this new land so that the press of all nations might find refuge under the wings of Columbia after a citywide call for design ideas and after truly citizen driven process city council approved our new flag last year designed by local graphics firm half and half it's bold colors represent the history the future the spirit the hopes and dreams of our great city of the wing based design speaks not only to inclusion but also to the bounty of the mighty salute abroad and Congruy rivers that serve as the primary reason for our selection in South Carolina's capital in 1786 that met a blue of our state flag serves as our base and the six pointed star acknowledges the resilience of a capital city that rebuilt after burning to the ground in 1865 the design was embraced immediately by citizens of Columbia and all the less than the year old and now flies before homes and businesses and can be seen proudly embraced all across our city want to thank the Columbia design league in one Columbia and amazing citizens to help lead that process the spirit of inclusion could not be more important than now last year we continued to witness again and again and what seemingly inescapable regularity throughout this country the intersection of police and members of African-American community that equal unnecessary and inexcusable brutality and death by the time George Floyd was murdered in May his name became one on the long and tragic list of African-American citizens whose life had been cut short short through systemic racism exacted by law enforcement across this country here in the city of Columbia citizens were compelled to raise their voices in concert link arms in March in solidarity for racial justice and change but even during the enormous passion of marches and protests we saw how foundational municipal leadership work taken in the past is essential to helping prepare for and perhaps even minimize civic upheaval beginning in 2014 we began investing on the skip Holbrooke's leadership in 21st century policing by establishing a justice law initiative for greater community engagement diversity training and accountability and law enforcement over the last 10 years we've made the largest investment in compassion and data-driven public safety in the history of our city and the leadership of chief Holbrooke deputy chief Kelly we've improved the morale reputation efficiency and effectiveness of our police department as well as established needed inroads to building if not complete trust and at least growing towards cooperation true cooperation between law enforcement and all of our communities across this city 2020 may be over but a great many of the issues and challenges it delivered like the COVID pandemic like furthering our political divisions and national discord and the need to fully address racial inequality and injustice are still pervasive it will still take enormous focus and commitment to overcome we must constantly improve to become a just and equitable city our commission on the future of Columbia will help guide that work and we will commit ourselves to making a reality here in this city free speech and the right to nonviolent protests will always be protected in the city of Columbia the sacrosanct to who we are and who we hope to be as a nation violence will never be tolerated not in this city in 10 years together we have revitalized our main street we've begun an ambitious project to support the development of the largest downtown revitalization project east of the Mississippi on bull street which now hosts a Starbucks and REI Segra Park that stadium of the decade according to baseball digest even as flames attempted to destroy the Babcock building we forge ahead as it will be rebuilt cupola and all in the 55 million dollar project underway as we speak you set the city back together on a strong and sound fiscal platform we've created a more equitable city the challenge before us remains real and defining and I believe that just as a Spanish flu brought the world to its knees 100 years ago the roaring twenties that followed that followed a period of cult we came into a period of cultural awakening and social movements and I believe that with thoughtful equitable economic policies we can change the course of history together and not repeat the challenges of the 20th century if the city is to serve as a true platform for human potential then we must do more if a wayward child with the footlock of the love of his parents and the dreams of his ancestors can make it in this city then every child should be able to do the same Columbia is up to the task I know who we are I saw it in 2015 alone in the wake of the Emanuel massacre we came together and we brought down the Confederate battle flag and the wake of the greatest floods the city has ever seen us like everyday citizens lead with compassion and empathy we need to take that spirit that spirit of collectivism of togetherness and lead our way through the rest of this pandemic we're in the eye of the storm we're seeing cases go down but we are seeing the rise of B 117 the variant that could potentially be the dominant covid strain in America by this spring we must be vigilant we must continue to fight and to sacrifice together the old normal before the pandemic and our new normal that we're all beginning to adjust to has we can't become the begun to put that dream that make Columbia made real for me out of touch for too many of our citizens we've watched data from Harvard economist Raj Shetty that shows that since 1940 generations of Americans year after year are struggling to do as well as their parents did this great pandemic has served as an x-ray of American society has shown us that we have many many broken bones all across this great country access to affordable health care is a predicate for making it in America affordable housing the need for real minimum wage and more work studying a guaranteed income as we launch our pilot the mayor's were guaranteed income in the Midlands Faraday initiative later this month will give us a path to show her how we can build a more equitable and just society we must think big and act big and recognize that none of us has all of the answers there are many possible futures for Columbia South Carolina the future is indeed subjective it depends on what we're willing to do to make a hope of the most talented educated entrepreneurial city in America real for all of our citizens we need as much participatory engagement as possible in order to move forward together together we need our leaders in Congress to step up and pass the president's plan to move America forward we must put partisanship aside and join Republicans and Democrats on the ground who support the president's plan to help small businesses to help parents who want their children receiving the quality in person education that they deserve to help hardworking teachers who need vaccinations to help us prioritize the health care of every single American so they too can survive and thrive if Columbia is to be a true platform for human potential we must commit to moving forward together my fellow citizens please know that has been truly my life's blessing to serve you and may the Lord bless you and keep you and the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you Lord lift up his countess upon you and give you peace thank you