LBPOSTSports.com columnist Ryan Thies is in Washington D.C. for the inauguration, and caught up with Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster for a few minutes after the ceremony.
Mayor calls President Obama’s inauguration a “proud day for the country.”
If you stayed home and watched the Inauguration on television, you had a pretty good view of the festivities – but Mayor Foster had a better one. Sitting at the Capitol, less than 100 feet away from Barack Obama, Bob Foster had a front-row ticket to history.
I was waiting to meet with Mayor Foster just after the Inauguration; there were masses of people going in all directions but Bob Foster stood out in the crowd. Foster, no matter how long he has lived in Long Beach, still has some East Coast in him because while I was freezing in my parka Mayor Foster was wearing his power suit and was just fine in the weather. His good seat was just another perk that comes from being an early supporter of the new President, and from being friends with Dianne Feinstein (chair of Congressional Inaugural Committee). But the Mayor, and all of Long Beach, is hoping that his relationship with the new administration continues to help the city.
The election of Barack Obama certainly represents an acceptance of America’s diversity, but Long Beach already knows a thing or two about diversity. As Mayor Foster put it: Long Beach is “pound-for-pound the most diverse city in the country.” Foster said he couldn’t help but be amazed by the country, and the “understanding and coming together” that Obama’s Presidency represents. Citing his intellect, demeanor, and ability to bring people together, Foster knew that Obama was the right man for the job very early on. In fact, Mayor Foster was such a visible supporter of Obama that some thought he was a possibility for the new administration’s Energy Secretary. But Foster says he did not want to take that position or any other spot in the current administration. Instead choosing to focus on the work to be done in Long Beach.
Every American has high hopes for this incoming administration, and Mayor Foster is no exception. Obama has already proposed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects, and Foster hopes that Long Beach’s $570 million “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects can be a part of that stimulus proposal. Mayor Foster will stay in Washington for a few more days to take meetings on the Hill; meetings he’s hoping can secure more funds and more jobs for Long Beach. The new President has asked us all to work hard, and Mayor Foster couldn’t agree more because he knows it will take a lot of hard work to meet Long Beach’s challenges.