My experience at the Mayor’s State of the City Address was definitely a highlight of my high-school experience. Being a senior in high school and getting invited to sit at a reserved table with many highly respected people from all over Orange County made me feel extremely honored. At first, when I was informed of this opportunity, I thought that I was going to hear about all of the economic downfalls the government has been dealing with lately, but to my surprise, that was not the case. At the Mayor’s Address, I learned more than I could have ever imagined about how great this wonderful city really is.

I learned about a great program called “Anaheim Hi Neighbor” and realized how great of an impact this program would have on crime rates and overall friendliness in a neighborhood. This factor is often overlooked because people nowadays are just too busy working and don’t realize the importance of a friendship with the people right next door. One thing that the Mayor said that really pleased me that he recognized is the simple fact that the government does not know when a person is in need, but a neighbor does. To be, my neighbors have always been supportive and friendly and I could not imagine what my neighborhood would be like without this friendliness. Something else that I learned, which I am very pleased with is that Anaheim is still NBA ready. I could only imagine the boost that an NBA team would have on the city of Anaheim’s economy. To me, it was very important when he mentioned Anaheim and Orange County being seen as a suburb of LA and that not being right. I completely agree with the Mayor because Anaheim and Orange County both have so much to offer.

Another aspect of the Mayor’s address that I admired is his sincerity for the business man. He understands that small businesses are extremely important for the city and he is trying to find ways to make business better. I would have to say that the very first thing that I noticed when I was walking up to the doors of the City National Grove of Anaheim was the life size Lightning McQueen from “Cars,” but when I turned around; I saw a beautiful car made by Fisker. This car was my dream car right after seeing it, and to my surprise, late in the Mayors speech, he mentioned that they will be manufactured in Anaheim creating many jobs filling some of the unemployment gap. He also mentioned in his speech that government assistance should be a safety net, not a support for people, and I truly agree with this statement because in order for people to succeed in life and become something, they have to make an effort. The same goes for the city. If we want our city to become great, it has to be worked for.

This experience has changed my outlook on government completely. I believe that the Mayor truly relates to the common person in Anaheim and understands the passion that everyone in Anaheim has for our wonderful city. I believe that Mayor Tom Tait truly cares about Anaheim, and he shows it through his push of kindness and community unity all through Anaheim. I believe that a good government system starts where the leader truly cares and takes a passion in what they do, and to me, Mayor Tom Tait is going above and beyond. I cannot explain how much this experience means to me, to be able to attend city meetings such as this. Anaheim is such a great city that has so much to offer. I am so proud to live in the lovely city of Anaheim and to be able to represent all of the students of Anaheim.