Erie Mayor Sinnott Attends Historic Inauguration
ERIE MAYOR
WSEE-35
Lindsay Perna
Boston University Washington News Service
Jan. 20, 2009
WASHINGTON—Instead of joining the more than 1 million people on the National Mall Tuesday to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama, Erie Mayor Joseph Sinnott shared the moment with other Pennsylvanians in the lobby of his Washington hotel. Sinnott chose to stay in to watch the swearing-in due to the overwhelming logistics of the viewing areas, he said.
“It was good to watch it with other elevated officials and party people,” Sinnott said.
Attending the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s Yes, We Did! celebration Monday night, Sinnott did not have to go far to mingle with “some of the folks I don’t see that often,” as that event was held in his hotel.
“It was active, but that’s good,” said Sinnott of his overall inaugural experience.
Though remote from the outdoor celebration, the mayor was enthusiastic about what had taken place in the 44th President’s speech addressing the future of America.
“There were a lot of positive transitional things that really will change the philosophy of this country back to taking care of ourselves,” Sinnott said.
Sinnott said Obama’s speech laid a “good foundation” for solving the problems facing Erie. He said he is focused on rectifying those issues within the areas of infrastructure, social services and education.
“All of those things will have a holistic affect on our communities,” he said.
“I think it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a real strong policy towards handling our own business here first.”
Sinnott planned to take part in the celebration at the Vice President Biden Home State Ball Tuesday night in the Convention Center.
Sinnott is returning to Erie Wednesday afternoon, he said, to focus on the not so glamorous problems that await him.
“They are not the things that you necessarily have parades for, but things that really have an impact on our communities.”
###
