As 2010 gets under way, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a Happy, Healthy New Year.

2009 was filled with challenges but great progress. We saw the induction of our country’s first African American President, the nomination and confirmation of our first Latina Justice and the election of the first openly lesbian mayor of a major American city. We enjoyed yet another trip to the PCL Championship, an amazing Causeway Classic comeback and the brilliant play of an amazing rookie putting the Kings back on the map. Sadly, we also lost some of our country’s greatest entertainers, a number of fantastic local activists and the Lion of the Senate.

2009 has left us on the verge of the most significant health care reform in our nation’s history and have seen our country’s investment in its economic recovery begin to bear fruit. Despite that, far too many of our neighbors and our fellow Americans remain unemployed, uninsured and at risk of losing their homes. While 2010 saw great progress; it also showed us how far we have left to go.

We approach 2010 with an optimistic resolve and an assured knowledge that if we can come together as a community, a state and a country our best days remain in front of us.
Let us let President Obama’s words of hope and togetherness guide us in 2010. “Instead of giving in to fear and cynicism, let’s renew that timeless American spirit of resolve and confidence and optimism. Instead of succumbing to partisanship and division, let’s summon the unity that this moment demands. Let’s work together, with a seriousness of purpose, to do what must be done to keep our country safe.”

“As we begin this New Year, I cannot imagine a more fitting resolution to guide us -- as a people and as a nation.”