Above: Rendell giving his inagural speech after being sworn in. Right: Festivities were held in front of the Capitol Budding Above: Rendell being sworn in before over 3,000 specta tors, The temperature that day hovered in te.?Os, photos by Douglas Coolbaugh/ The Fou RENDELL SWORN IN by Ted Sawchuck of The Fourth Estate Pennsylvania welcomed a new governor on Tuesday with the inauguration of Ed Rendell and his lieutenant governor Catherine Baker Knoll. Bitter cold and gustling wind didn't keep most of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from attend ing, along with over 3,000 citizens. The two main points of inter est were Governor Rendell's speech and Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll's speech, both of which highlighted their goals for the coming term. Lieutenant Governor Knoll spoke first, having been sworn in in the state Senate chamber. At 10:30 her speech began. She wants Pennsylvanians to "come together" to form a "Team Pennsylvania" and "stop asking 'What's in it for me' .7 She would.also like to get rid of labels like "the poor," "the homeless," and "the abused." Knoll ended by urging the crowd, "Let's reach for the clay togeth er." An hour or so later, the festiv ities began outside with a high school marching band and a benediction. After that Governor Rendell delivered a sur prisingly somber speech, addressing the need to rectify the state budget deficit, rebuild the economy, stop brain drain, improve public education, fix the property tax system, and solve the medical malpractice problem. He's got a lot of work, and admitted that he'll be taking inspiration from the platforms of Bob Casey Jr. and Mike Fisher to tack le it. The Governor summed it up best in one of the last lines in his speech. "The next four years promise to be a challenging and exciting time for Pennsylvania."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers