I accept that responsibility and ask only that I be judged by my performance as its chief executive.

Chicago kept industry, attracted new business, became the center for convention trade and transportation.

If for no other reason than the energy crisis now facing this country, the federal government should be eager to become partners with us in rebuilding our city.

The nation can no longer afford to continue policies that hasten the flight of persons to the distant suburbs.

We must care. We must all care. And while I am working, while the governments is working, so must the people also work.

The people of Chicago are a proud people - and for good reason.

The credit for much of this rightly belongs to the late Mayor Daley who forged a coalition of business and labor that kept Chicago always moving ahead.

I pledge tonight to be Mayor for all of the people of this city - for one Chicago.

If all of us would require the same level of performance from ourselves as we expect from government, this city will forever be the city that works.

I accept that responsibility and ask only that I be judged by my performance as its chief executive.

For my part, I plan to work out a fair and adequate redistribution of city services to all city neighborhoods.

In the housing projects, people talked of ways to reduce crime, relieve overcrowding, and they were good ideas that we plan to study, and possibly implement.

If those communities are left to decay, this city will decay.

City employees will be hired and promoted because of their abilities - without outside interference.

In the days and months I spent walking through the various communities of this city, I found that Chicago did not work for everyone, however.

If we are to succeed, we must recognize that the community redevelopment is not solely the rehabilitation of housing, or putting a mall in the business strips.

We saw hundreds of programs to redevelop the central city, the neighborhoods, in the past.

But as important as the job to be done by government in the neighborhoods, the people must also be involved.

But always I was a private citizen whose activities in government or political party were appointive.

The Chicago Symphony is considered the greatest orchestra in the world.

Chicago's neighborhoods have always been this city's greatest strength.

The cooperation of government at its different levels is important and can only be achieved as long as the people of Chicago are directly involved in our efforts and supportive of our goals.

Be assured that I did not become the Mayor of Chicago to preside over its decline.

I am here before you tonight to dedicate this administration to bringing a new renaissance of neighborhood life and community spirit, a renewal of confidence in the future of our city and a revival of opportunity for all Chicago.

Tonight - by taking this solemn oath - I am no longer a private citizen but the Mayor of the City of Chicago.

As I visited the various neighborhoods in the campaign, I learned fast that it's a mistake to think that all of the wisdom and possible solutions to our problems are available only in this building.

Our universities and museums are respected around the country.

But I am committed to keeping this city a strong and viable center for commerce and industry, for continuing to make it a place of opportunity for its citizens.

The people ask much, often more than any government can give. We must resist the temptation to promise solutions to all problems.

I am a Democrat. I have been one all of my life.

The people must know that from this day on, we want their opinions.

When there were fears about the future of this nation's older cities... when a few of the cities teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, all eyes were focused on Chicago for contrast.

Chicago kept industry attracted new business became the center for convention trade and transportation.

If you give it good concentration, good energy, good heart and good performance, the song will play you.

Firms would be given initial entitlements to gross markup on the basis of past performance. These entitlements would be transferable and a market in them would be developed.

Humans are imperfect. That's one of the reasons that classical and jazz are in trouble. We're on the quest for the perfect performance and every note has to be right. Man, every note is not right in life.

And at the same time, you are of course a performer, but it's very important that you understand that your role as a performer is to get the best performance from those wonderful colleagues that you have the chance to work with.

To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.

The next day I was in my school's production of All My Sons. This was the performance where I realized something was happening between me and the audience that I hadn't recognized before.

From protecting our natural resources to providing maritime security and national defense, the Coast Guard's duties are broad in scope, and the performance of those duties has never been more important.

To vote is like the payment of a debt, a duty never to be neglected, if its performance is possible.

I think my expectations for myself are much more severe and much more direct. You can't work on a film for six years without being your own toughest critic. So you can't really be distracted by the expectations based on your previous performance.

Unless an entire row of people got up in the middle of a performance and left the theater in disgust, I felt as though I hadn't done my job.

I'd also like to do a play. I've never done theater, and constantly changing and refining a performance is something I'd like to do, even though it may sound like work to some people - and it probably is work.

What comprises good performance? The ability through singing or playing to make the ear conscious of the true content and affect of a composition.

I always want to do things that are different. I don't want to be doing the same thing, the same performance constantly, and it feels like most people tell you that they are the same. However different you feel might approach them.

I've done scenes in films that I felt like the performance was better in certain takes, but they couldn't use them because it didn't match what the person was doing when they came around and the camera was on them.

I am always more interested in performance and character depiction, and my direction says as much.

Did you know I staged the first performance in America of At the Hawk's Well?