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I'm going to switch up the order
here a little bit, and I'm

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here to say a few remarks
about about another wonderful

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director, Director
Liliana Ayala.

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Liliana, can you wave?

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I have not seen.

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So Liliana Ayala is our new
Office of Sustainability

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Environment Director.

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Liliana brings a
demonstrated record

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of advancing environmental
action grounded in

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equity, community,
and partnership.

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She's known for a collaborative

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leadership style that
centers community voices

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and accountability
including successful

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work with philanthropic,
nonprofit, government, and

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grassroots organizations.

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And for the last seven years
Liliana has brought her

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talent and impact to the
Office of Sustainability and

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Environment. And appointed
as Seattle's first Climate

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Justice Director, she
helped establish new models

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for embedding equity into
environmental policy.

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She spearheaded the development

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and execution of Seattle's
Green New Deal, advancing

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strategies to reduce
emissions while prioritizing

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investments in frontline
communities and addressing

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systemic inequities.

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And we know we've
made incredible

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progress and we have so
much more work to do.

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As As deputy
director of OSC over

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the last year, she expanded her
leadership across departmental

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operations, guiding cross-sector
partnerships, and ensuring

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alignment between climate goals
and community priorities.

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And even before joining the
city as a staff member, she's

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been shaping and influencing
the city's approach through

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advisory commissions
like the Seattle Women's

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Commission, serving as
vice chair and chair of

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the Parks District Oversight
Committee, the co-chair of King

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County's open space
equity cabinet and her

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work toward developing
the landmark equity and

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environment initiative
she previously worked

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to advance climate
environmental policy at the

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federal level leading policy
development and community

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outreach for Congresswoman
Pramila Jayapal she's been

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recognized nationally
for her leadership and

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impact as one of the Grist 50
for her work advancing a more

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just and sustainable future and
was selected as a participant

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in the Obama Foundation Leaders
USA program and most recently

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a facilitator for the Obama
Leaders Climate Community of

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Practice, further strengthening
her leadership in advancing

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inclusive community-driven
solutions to complex challenges.

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I am so honored and excited
to nominate Liliana

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Ayala as director of the
Office of Sustainability

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and the Environment.

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And I just want to speak to
how important it is for your

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leadership at this time.

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You know, we are going -- we're
in the middle of updating our

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10-year climate action
plan and so excited for

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your leadership there.

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We are in the middle of
reimagining the future of our

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city through our comprehensive
plan, working closely with

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the mayor's office, and having
difficult decisions to make

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about how our city grows.

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And we know that one of the best
things we can do as we look

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at our climate action plan and
greenhouse gas emissions coming

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from transportation, coming
from our buildings, is to help

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transition our city to one
that, you know, where we have

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housing and trees, where people
can take transit, where they

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can have walkable neighborhoods.

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And to make that possible
throughout the city and to

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really imagine a future that
where we don't have to rely

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so much on vehicles and
cars to get where we're

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going and so I look
forward to partnering

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with you that's why I'm excited
that office of sustainability

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and environment has been
partnered with land

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use to work together on
these critical issues.

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Also very excited for your
leadership to help us

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work on our work plan
on data centers.

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One of the most pressing
issues that we see

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right now and I know that you're
going to help us work with our

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regional partners, work with
with our community, with our

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businesses, with our utilities.

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Work with our state
partners, 'cause this is,

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and even potentially
our federal partners,

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'cause this is something
that is gonna really shape

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our country in the
years to come,

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and I think we can
be a leader here,

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and you're gonna be at
the forefront of that.

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So super excited for
your leadership.

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Thank you for your service.

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Councilmember Foster,
would you like to come up?

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Wow, wow, wow.

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Hi, everyone.

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Happy Friday.

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I want to start by first
thanking Mayor Wilson for her

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confidence and support in me
and serving in this role.

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I want to thank her
for her climate and

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environmental leadership.

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I'm so thrilled to be able
to support continued just

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climate action in this city.

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I want to thank
Councilmember Lin for all

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of his very kind words.

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As he was reading that out, I
was like, what, is that me?

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Whoa.

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So I'm so grateful for his
leadership and excited to

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work with him and his staff
and very excited to work

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with the esteemed city
council members in my

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tenure in this role.

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I want to thank the
staff of the Office of

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Sustainability and Environment,
many who are in this room today.

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You all are tenacious,
courageous, passionate.

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Your commitment for the health
and well-being of this city

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is commendable, and it is
what drives me every morning

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and excites me every morning.

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I'm getting a little emotional.

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It gets me excited every
morning to come to work.

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I see many of our community
partners in the room,

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and wow, I, you know,
I have so much to say

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about the role that
our community partners

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play and have played
specifically in my career

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throughout the past 20 years
I'm so grateful for your

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partnership your voice
your leadership your vote

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of confidence your gentle
nudging and pushing sometimes

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maybe not so gentle but
grateful for the tenacity

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nonetheless. I want to
recognize my friends and

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family in this room, all
of the support that you've

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all lended.

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My mom's here and she flew here.

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She flew

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She flew here from Texas,
and we are welcoming

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her with very beautiful
Pacific Northwest weather,

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which is maybe atypical, but
I just want to thank them

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for their support and the
sacrifices that they make.

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Many of our family members
and our communities have to

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share us and share our time in
service to the collective good.

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I want to recognize that and I
want to thank them for that.

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I'm humbled to serve in this
role and am grateful to the

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Coast Salish tribes for their
leadership and stewardship

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of land, air, and water.

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since time immemorial.

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I'm humbled to be a guest
on these lands and to

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honor the duties of being
a good guest and moving

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in a respectful way that
accounts for the care

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of this place for us
now and the place for

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our future ancestors.

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20 years ago, I moved
to Seattle from Chicago

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with a suitcase and a
duffel bag in hand.

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I knew nobody in the city.

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I didn't know where I
was going to go live.

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I didn't know what
was going to unfold.

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And flying past Mount
Rainier on that airplane

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and through the
evergreen forest and over

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the Puget Sound, I felt
tears pooling in my eyes.

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The emotion caught in my throat.

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I had never seen a place
so beautiful, so wondrous.

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And this place has
become my home.

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My community grew, the land
became familiar with my hands

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as I stewarded the forests,
the trails, the streams here

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in service to caring
for our community

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and for the creatures
that live here.

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That same wonder and passion
continues to guide me

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in service to ensuring that
all those who live, work, and

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play in this beautiful city
can breathe clean air, access

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fresh local fruits and
vegetables, have the ability to,

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thanks to Andrew
Lee and his team,

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drink the cleanest water
I've ever had in my life.

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And be prepared for the impacts
of climate change happening now.

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Addressing the root causes
and impacts is tough

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and complex work.

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And that doesn't mean that
we should shy away from it.

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It doesn't mean that we should
think of these solutions

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as add-ons or optional.

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It means that we're obligated
to lean in to systems thinking,

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to embrace difficult
conversations,

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to tap into our most
creative and bold selves

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to scale solutions that we
already know are working

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and take a leap of faith
to try new things.

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I'm committed to
leading with boldness,

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curiosity and creativity,
with care, integrity

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and accountability and
a commitment to deep

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listening and action
for all of you.

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Thank you.

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All right, thank you.

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Now it's time for the
city clerk speech.

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Just kidding.

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We're just going to go in order.

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So Liliana.

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And Liliana, did you want
your mother to come pin you?

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Liliana, yes.

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Yeah, okay.

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Repeat this so that you can
repeat after me and be heard.

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Okay, okay.

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Thank you.

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All right, Liliana, I just
need you to hold up your right

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hand and to repeat after me.

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I, Liliana Ayala.

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I, Liliana Ayala.

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Swear that I possess.

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Swear that I possess.

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All of the qualifications.

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All of the qualifications.

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Prescribed in the
Seattle City Charter.

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Prescribed in the
Seattle City Charter.

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And the Seattle Municipal Code.

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And the Seattle Municipal Code.

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for the position
of, I am so sorry.

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For the position of.

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Do not repeat that.

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I'm so sorry.

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I'm so sorry.

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It's a good one.

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I apologize.

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00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:47,100
I have to get my cheat sheet
because there is an error in

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00:11:47,100 --> 00:11:49,220
your oath, and I apologize,
everyone.

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00:11:49,220 --> 00:11:50,259
I am so sorry.

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So, sorry.

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00:11:52,220 --> 00:11:56,105
for the position of director of
the Office of Sustainability and

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Environment. For the position
of director of the Office

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00:11:59,375 --> 00:12:01,437
of Sustainability
and Environment.

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That I will support
the Constitution

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00:12:03,500 --> 00:12:04,575
of the United States.

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That I will support the
Constitution of the United

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00:12:07,085 --> 00:12:09,738
States. The Constitution of
the State of Washington.

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The Constitution of the State of

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Washington. And the Charter
and and ordinances of

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the city of Seattle.

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And the charter and ordinances
of the city of Seattle.

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And that I will faithfully
conduct myself.

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And I will faithfully
conduct myself.

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As the director of OSC.

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As the director of OSC.

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Thank you.

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Congratulations. Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.