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Thank you, Council President Clarke and members of City Council, for inviting me to speak today.
I am pleased to present our seventh proposed Five Year Financial Plan, covering Fiscal Years 2023-2027.
As we all know, the past two years have not been easy.
The challenges we've faced as a city, including a global pandemic, political turmoil at the national level, and intensified violence, have tested our collective resolve. But, with our trademark resilience and determination, we are facing those challenges together.
I remember the uncertainty we all felt in the early days of the pandemic, when our city shut down and we focused all of our efforts on stopping the spread of the virus.
Each of us has had to make sacrifices while bracing for every worst-case scenario, and we've seen the impacts continue to ripple out into our communities ever since.
Here and across the world, we have lost friends and loved ones. People faced uncertain economic futures and isolation, children and families endured school closures, and business owners everywhere were forced to navigate restrictions and shutdowns.
We faced those seismic changes together, and now - thanks to the collective hope and determination our city never lost, and bolstered by critical federal financial support- we are well-positioned for recovery in the wake of the pandemic.
As I've said before, I never lost hope - hope that our City could and would rebound - and that hope is stronger than ever today.
The strength and dedication I witnessed from the thousands of first responders and City of Philadelphia employees over the past two years has been nothing short of remarkable.
And I am proud that the City, along with all of our partner organizations across the region, stepped up to provide unprecedented support for our people in a time of great need.
We got vaccinated. Since the life-saving vaccines started rolling out, Philadelphia has become one of the most vaccinated cities in the country. This i...
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