Mayor Eric Johnson – 2019 Inauguration Speech

Thank you. Thank you very much. What a wonderful day. Thank you so much for being here.

Mayor Rawlings, Members of the City Council, City Manager Broadnax, city staff, distinguished guests, family, friends, and my fellow Dallasites:

I am honored, beyond all possible description, to serve as the 60th elected Mayor of the City of Dallas, Texas. I thank God for this incredible opportunity. I have known for a long time that public service would be my life’s work, and I am grateful to the people of Dallas for allowing me to serve as their mayor.

And speaking of service, I would like to thank Mayor Mike Rawlings and his lovely wife, Micki, for the past eight years. Mayor Rawlings, you’ve been a good friend to me. But you’ve been an even better friend to Dallas. Thank you so much for your leadership. Because of it, we are a better city than we were eight years ago and I know that everyone here deeply appreciates you and your family for that.

[Pause for applause]

I also want to say “thank you” to my family. I am truly blessed to have the love and support of my wife and best friend, Nikki. Nikki you are my rock, my partner, and quite often, my reality check. None of this would be possible without you.

Thank you, Nikki. I love you so much.

And to our two boys, William and George: I am so proud of both of you! Today I will be taking on a new job title. But I want you boys to know that my two most important job titles will always be “husband” and “dad”.

My friends, as with all ceremonies such as this, today represents a new beginning, not just for me and the City Council members seated behind me, but for our entire city. Dallas voters did more than cast a vote on June 8th, they cast a vision. They made a clear choice about who they want to be and where they want to go.

Our mission in the coming years will be to fulfill this vision for our city. To create a brighter future and to build an even better Dallas: a Dallas that works for every person, in every neighborhood.