Excerpts of Major Address of Mayor Campbell at Democratic Convention

Mayor Bill Campbell

It is a great honor for me to second the nomination of the current and future Vice President of the United States of America: Al Gore!

During the past four years, we in Atlanta have come to know Al Gore very well. Most recently, he worked with us to put on two of the largest events in peacetime history: the Olympic and Paralympic Games - and they were the best games ever.

Tonight, because of the dedication of people like Al Gore, we in America have another set of triumphs to celebrate. They are quiet, everyday triumphs. They are the triumphs we now see in inner cities throughout America. Still, in the urban mosaic, many are troubled, both economically and spiritually.

Al Gore understands that our inner cities need the same attention and care that helped our Olympians and Para-Olympians succeed. That's why he came to Atlanta and shared his plans of community empowerment - challenging us to bring it to life across America. He knows that any effective plan has to begin at the grass roots - a plan that is bottom-up and not top-down.