PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee on Sunday during his inauguration address urged Rhode Islanders to come together as a team to combat the twin health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to get the job done,” he said during a ceremony held outside the Statehouse, after acknowledging that, “Too many Rhode Islanders are struggling.
“Together, we’re going to keep Rhode Islanders healthy,” he said. “We’re going to get us back to work. We’re going to get teachers and students safely back in school. We’re going to get our businesses back in business. And we’re going to make sure that families in all 39 cities and towns not only recover, but come back stronger.
“Getting everyone vaccinated is priority No. 1,” he continued. “But we also know this isn’t just a public health crisis. We are in an economic crisis. Our families, small businesses, workers and students are struggling. And our communities of color continue to be disproportionately impacted.”
Drawing on his experience as a youth basketball coach, the former Cumberland mayor and lieutenant governor noted that, “Good teams are built when talented individuals do their best. But the best teams, the very best teams, are built when talented individuals use their skills to help others do their very best.
“Rhode Island can be better than just a good team. We can be one of the very best,” he said. “One that recognizes the sacrifices of nurses, teachers, grocery store workers, those living in isolation and more – a team that rallies around our frontline heroes to get over the finish line.”
The inauguration ceremony followed a brief swearing-in ceremony on March 2, hours after former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo resigned to serve as the U.S. secretary of commerce.
McKee noted in his speech that, “There is no playbook for this extraordinary moment in Rhode Island’s history … or for a lieutenant governor becoming governor during a global pandemic.”
But he sought to assure Rhode Islanders that, “With every decision we make in the months ahead, I am going to be thinking about how to get through the challenges facing all the communities that make up our 39 cities and towns.
“E pluribus unum. Out of many, one,” he said. “One team. That is my promise to you.”
The ceremony was attended by the governor’s family, including his wife, Susan McKee, friends and a host of state and local officials, including mayors from several communities.
