Good morning.
Thank thank you for being here on is it
give me a lot to to to digest and remember on this day.
First of all, it's 7/11.
We could always remember that the swearing in on 7/11, it's
an all star day for two all stars.
They're going to play baseball on your special day.
But in all seriousness, thank all of you for being here.
Family and friends and co employees to celebrate.
Really, what sort of a big milestone, I think, in someone's career
when both other elected
officers and officials, including myself, have just said
this is the right person for the right job at the right time
and one of the most critical parts of our city's history.
So it sort of goes in the Wikipedia history books when we get this kind of
this kind of talent right.
And my staff, they
I don't know how they decide who goes first.
They either go in terms of intelligence or good looks or seniority.
I have no idea the criteria.
But however, it was
decided, we're going to start with AP and then I'm going to move right to Rico.
But truly, I'm very happy about this.
And so I'll say a few words
and we'll go through the formal part of the swearing in process.
So I'll start with with AP Diaz.
This is, of course, the official oath of office of the city's
newest superintendent of Parks and Recreation Department.
I will call APD as although his name is Anthony
Paul Diaz AP because that's how he's affectionately known.
First of all, we have to look at his portfolio,
our parks, our play fields, our community centers.
I think we all could agree, particularly here in Seattle,
but in our nation, that this is one of the most treasured assets that
that a mayor takes pride in and the city takes pride.
And it's a place where people not only recreation and have peace of mind,
they ask themselves how they fit into the world ecosystem
and how nature is tied into however their being as is sort of that cool thing
where people find the rhythm of water and trees and the air and
and hopefully a city as the great steward of that asset.
So people could sort of families could sort of find that peace with the earth.
I sort of say that's how I look at our asset system,
a place where people could be mentored, could be taught.
I personally grew up in our park system,
and I just had to say that in our nationwide search for a new superintendent
and I'm going to say a few things about you, Chris, don't worry about,
you know you're coming, brother. So
that is we looked at
what kind of leader we wanted.
We found we found our superstar in AP.
He was unanimously confirmed
by the city council as a park superintendent.
Quite frankly, the people of Seattle deserves a leader like AP.
We've been through some tough times as a country and as a city.
AP has made his his commitment clear, as his employees have made it
clear to keep our parks open, clean and accessible.
You know, he was the executive officer at Los Angeles Parks Department,
and I knew he was a proven leader because I talked I had done my research
for everyone around you, including Mayor Garcetti and others.
And I asked for what I said, what kind of quality I was looking
for transparency, commitment, high energy, high integrity.
And your name had come up in a few circles.
And I have to tell you to go off script a little bit for you to choose to take,
just to uplift your roots in California, which indeed are deep,
and to take a leap of faith
with your family and your children, and doing what you do that
that says a lot about you and also says a lot about the colleagues
around you, too, that you saw something hopefully in this ecosystem here
that says, you know,
I can do this for any of those that have experience or relocation
to another city or another country, they know what I'm talking about.
You sort of dip your toe in the water a little bit
and you jumped right in and a lifejacket on, I hope.
But you you jumped right in
and and we've received you well.
And I think that you've just become the star.
We all thought you could be a few characteristics
that people have said about you, that you are relatable.
A carry visionary who brings boundless energy.
and enthusiasm to his work.
He cares about centering equity at our parks department,
looking to prioritize access for those furthest from opportunity.
He is ushering a renewed focus on safety, equitable
access and climate conscious facilities across our park system,
very approachable and accessible and an authentic leader
who empowers his team to tackle the most pressing challenges.
It's no accident that Seattle, as many of you have read, is named
the eighth Best Park System in the nation by the trust of public lands,
and which is probably a good segway into
leaders at the park
system, including Chris Williams and other people on your command staff.
Thank you.
I can't say command, so I get my police hat on my leadership staff.
Probably you're not commanding anyone there.
Of course you do have park rangers now
that Chris, you've been
a gracious leader and a person of high integrity and high ability.
Thank you.
And your team, the team around you built a wonderful team
and that was important for me, quite frankly, to recruit
someone of this talent.
So thank you and others for for doing this.
And in closing on the part about AP that
I just like you, you know,
some people I work around and they're competent,
they're ethical, they have high integrity, and
I'm not going to invite them to a cocktail party. But
and some people you just
like and AP is just a very likable person.
You are. To Greg, do I see you like now?
I didn't say that about I didn't say that about you on your certainly
all of you are like, well, let me clean it up like all of you
are invited to my cocktail party.
But you are indeed likable.
And I think that's why you're such a strong leader.
And so we're going to move on to the official oath of office,
which will be administered by our new city clerk, Sharon Dedmon.
So this is this your debut Sharon? Okay.
So the pressure's going to be now on you and we're so happy
that you join us as a city clerk.
And the ceremonial pin affixed will be by his spouse, Krista Diaz.
So, Krista you could come up as well.
Congratulations.
I'm sorry.
I'm going to be a little loud so that the microphone can get me to.
Okay, great.
So please raise your right hand and repeat after me.
I Anthony, AP Diaz
I, Anthony, Paul AP Diaz
Swear or affirm.
Swear.
That I possess all of the qualifications.
That I possess.
All of the qualifications.
Prescribed in the Seattle City Charter.
And the Seattle Municipal
Code... and the Seattle Municipal Code.
For the position of the superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation.
For the position of Superintendent for Seattle Parks and Recreation.
That I will support the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the State of Washington.
And the charter and ordinances of the City of Seattle.
And the Charter and ordinances of the City of Seattle.
And that I will faithfully conduct myself.
As the superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation.
As the proud superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation.
And congratulations.
I can see them waiting to pin that pin. Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Mayor Harrell, for believing in me,
for seeking me, and for calling me up to service to be on your team.
I, too, like the mayor very, very much.
You're paid.
To say. That,
you know, this is an exciting time.
This is a highlight for me in my career.
This is a highlight for my family.
I can't look over.
They're going to get emotional because this is a big challenge.
It's an awesome responsibility.
And I, I want to start out by saying and acknowledging first
the indigenous Coast Salish people,
because today I became the superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation,
the 26th superintendent since 1864.
But we all know that the original caretaker
and stewards of this land came way before us.
26 came way before 1864.
So an awesome responsibility to stand in their shoes,
to stand in that legacy, and to be given the responsibility
to care for our land, for our water, and what it means to our environment.
We we live in the Evergreen State, in the Emerald City.
Both of those reflective of nature and the endless beauty
of this great state of Washington.
What also makes this state great is the people that live in it.
And I'm excited to lead
and champion our parks for social equity
and for justice and for good in this city of Seattle.
There's so much good in this city.
People want to do good.
They want to be prosperous.
They want to thrive and have health and wellness.
And if there's one thing we learned
through the pandemic, first of all, all of us in this room are survivors.
We're all survivors.
We all went through something
incredible.
But the one place that we could come to during this difficult time
didn't matter whether you lived in Tokyo or London or Seattle or Atlanta,
was our park system right for health and wellness?
We realized the importance of parks, and now more than ever,
is the time to amplify the narrative that parks are essential.
Infrastructure to any city, just as important as bridges and highways
and schools.
They are essential infrastructure.
And so I'm really proud to share
this department with amazing colleagues who are in this room today,
who have worked a lot of time and hours
to return our park system to its glory, to let the people of Seattle know
that our parks are open and thriving, that we're supporting the mayor's
downtown activation plan.
But his plan for the entire city, which is simply to have a city
that is thriving and that is recognized for the greatness that it is.
So I'm the I'm the new person in town.
You're talking about putting your toe in the water
and hopefully with a life jacket, my life jacket is sitting right there.
His name's Christopher Williams.
Talk about a salt of the earth man.
Christopher Williams has a heart of gold.
He's a champion.
And he has been so embracing of me and my family
and so welcoming and giving me the tools for success.
I also want to acknowledge something that Mayor Harrell said to me
shortly after I accepted the position, and he announced me at Hasler Park
with my boss, Autumn Emery, the deputy mayor.
I sent him a text that day and I said, I'm so honored
and excited to join your team and to be here in Seattle.
Thank you for choosing me.
Thank you for trusting me.
And he wrote back the best text I've ever received
from a boss, from a colleague, from an employer.
And he said, A.P., we are proud to have you here.
And I want you to know that you will be afforded the grace,
afforded the grace to make mistakes and to fail in your new position,
because you need to do those things to advance this department forward.
I want you to do those things to advance this department forward.
And so know that you have a team behind you starting
at the highest level of our city that will afford you that grace
to do well.
And so I'm excited for that.
I want to thank you for that.
And that's a that's amazing.
So I close today by acknowledging my family
who is here today, my wife, Krista, my daughter Megan, my son Max.
You guys are the pride of my life.
You're my joy.
You've taken this adventure and this journey with me.
And I'm so excited.
And I want to thank you very trusting me
to lead our family into the next and best chapters.
And I want to thank all of you in the room, my colleagues, my friends,
my supporters.
Thank you for showing me you are what make me great.
You are what make me filled with joy to come to work every single day.
And I look forward to rolling up my sleeves
with all of the talented people in this room and advancing Seattle
to continue to thrive and be the great city and the greatest
nation and the greatest country in the greatest planet on earth.
So let's do good things together. Thank you so much.