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I have to adjust the mic again.

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All right, good
morning, everyone,

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and congratulations to all the
directors being sworn in today.

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I am so honored to be here
as chair of the Library's

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Education and Neighborhoods
Committee of the Council

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to speak on behalf of director
Quinn Pham I'm not going

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to go through all of the
directors accomplishments

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professional accomplishments
that got her here today

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but I want to do is tell you
what I know about director

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Pham she is caring she wants
to make sure that the

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Department of Neighborhoods
is giving the best

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service to all neighborhoods
across the city and working

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with community to do so.

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She is thoughtful.

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She looks at all
the sides to all

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of the issues and come up
with the solution that works

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best for everyone.

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And she is collaborative.

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She approaches the work humbly

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and is interested in
partnering to get the best

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path forward on all the
issues that our cities and

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our neighborhoods are facing.

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You don't always see that
in a person and certainly

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not in a leader.

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These are qualities
that I very much

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respect in leadership and
we are so lucky to have

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these qualities in Director
Pham and we are so lucky

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to be leading one of the best
teams in the city at the

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Department of Neighborhoods.

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Thank you Director Pham
for wanting to have this

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job and doing this job and
I invite you to come up and

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say a few remarks works.

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Ooh, we're almost done, guys.

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Hi, everyone.

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Good morning.

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Happy Pride.

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First, I would like to thank
Mayor Wilson for trusting me to

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serve as director of Seattle's
department of neighborhoods

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I'm grateful for the
opportunity to bring my

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deep community relationships
a clear vision and strong

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executive public sector
leadership to this role

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congratulations to my fellow
directors liliana amy beto

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andrew and also dr valenciano
I look forward to serving

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the neighbors of Seattle
alongside all of you.

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And I want to thank my family.

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My kids are asleep, thank God.

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My family, especially
my husband, my brother

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who are here today.

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All of my friends and
former colleagues.

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My amazing community members
that continue to show up.

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and of course the D.O.N.

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staff that also, I would say, is

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a book club and not a cult.

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Maybe? No.

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Okay.

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Who have really been alongside
me along this journey

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for my confirmation and
today for this swearing in.

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I truly, this time really means
a lot to me for your support.

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Growing up, I learned that
places and communities do not

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become vibrant by accident.

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They become vibrant because
people care and invest in them.

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That belief has guided
my entire career.

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My most transformative years
were spent in the Chinatown

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International District.

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Yes, my bias.

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That neighborhood raised me.

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that community became
my extended family.

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It's where I learned the power

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of intergenerational
relationships, community

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activism, and the
delicate balance of

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preserving culture
while embracing change.

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I went to the CID looking for

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community and belonging,
and somehow I came away

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way with a strong
sense of purpose.

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And in so many ways, the
Department of Neighborhoods

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has also been part
of that journey.

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Back in 2012, I was part
of the first cohort

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of the Department of
Neighborhoods People's

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Academy for Community
Engagement, or PACE.

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Through that program,
I learned something

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that has stayed
with me ever since.

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Government works best when
communities understand

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understand how we engage
with it and when government

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is willing to listen.

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PACE taught me how City Hall
worked, but more importantly, it

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taught me that everyday people
can create extraordinary

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change when they come together
around a shared vision.

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When I later helped launch the
Friends of Little Saigon, the

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Department of Neighborhoods
was also there again.

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Through grants like Small
Sparks, partnerships,

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historic preservation efforts,
and community engagement,

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DON helped transform
ideas into action.

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It helped residents like
me advocate for parks,

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preserve cultural identity,
organize neighbors,

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improve public safety, and shape
the future of our community.

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And that is what makes this
department so special.

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I am not simply someone
who worked alongside DON.

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I am someone whose leadership
journey was shaped in

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part by the department.

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I am a product of this
leadership, of what this

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leadership, a part of this
department makes possible.

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And that was true for me
and for the one specific

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community that I served.

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Imagine what that has
been possible across

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every neighborhood that
DON has supported.

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For 35 years, the Department
of Neighborhoods has been BTS,

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not the global K-pop group.

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But maybe we should
aspire to be BTS.

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But working behind the scenes to
help residents build community,

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preserve history, strengthen
civic participation, and ensure

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the city reflects its people.

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As Seattle prepares to
welcome visitors to the

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World Cup, thousands of
people will experience

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our city.

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They will visit Pioneer Square,
they will walk through the

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artisan stalls and Pike Place
Market, they will explore the

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rich flavors of the Chinatown
International District.

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They will see the Space Needle,
the monorail, the Seattle

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Piano, we have so many icons,
and many countless other

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places that tell the
story of who we are.

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What many people may not
realize is that these places

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did not preserve themselves.

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Behind many of the places that
so clearly define Seattle,

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our community has advocated with
the Department of Neighborhoods

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to protect and preserve them.

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I think that's
pretty incredible.

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As DON's director,
my vision is clear.

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I want to extend that same
power and visibility to

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the neighborhoods that have
not too often been unseen.

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I want our most vulnerable
neighborhoods to be seen,

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connected, and equipped
to shape its own future.

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That means strengthening
relationships, aligning our

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work across departments and
partners, and ensuring that

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our efforts create meaningful
results for our communities.

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It means listening deeply,
showing up consistently,

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investing in the ideas
that come directly from

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our residents themselves.

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And I want my lived experience
to inform this vision and

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the city's role in supporting
neighborhoods across Seattle.

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Because this is where my
heart is and my passion lie

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and why I am so honored that
my path has led me here.

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And I was chosen to lead
in this very exact moment

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alongside all of you.

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So thank you so much for this
opportunity to write DON's

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next chapter as we embark
on this journey together.

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Thank you.

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Don't feel bad, Amy.

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I had no family members either.

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I showed up like it was a
regular work Tuesday on my

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first day when I was sworn in.

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All right, quit.

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Can I have a mic?

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- Can I have a-- - Yes,
you can have it, mine.

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- Okay, can you raise
your right hand

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and you're gonna repeat it, yes.

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Ready? - Yeah.

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- I, Quinn Pham.

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- I, Quinn Pham.

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- Swear that I possess.

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Swear that I possess.

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All of the qualifications.

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All of the qualifications.

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Prescribed in the
Seattle City Charter.

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Prescribed in the
Seattle City Charter.

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And the Seattle Municipal Code.

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And the Seattle Municipal Code.

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Municipal Code.

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I can speak English.

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See, I try to do this in chunks.

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For the position of director of
Department of Neighborhoods.

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For the position of the
director of the Department

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of Neighborhoods.

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That I will support
the Constitution of

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the United States.

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That I will support
the Constitution of

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the United States.

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The Constitution of the
State of Washington.

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The Constitution of the
State of Washington.

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And the Charter and ordinances
of the City of Seattle.

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And the Charter and ordinances
of the City of Seattle.

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and that I will faithfully
conduct myself.

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And that I will
faithfully conduct myself

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as director of the
Department of Neighborhoods.

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As the director of the
Department of Neighborhoods.

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I'm going to hold onto this.