Last week, I proudly took the oath of office as the 42nd mayor of Colorado Springs.

I am deeply honored to have been entrusted with the responsibility to serve your families and help lead this remarkable city. As the city’s first elected Black and immigrant mayor, I am a living promise of the American Dream.

Make no mistake about it, I stand on the shoulders of many giants before me; generations of leaders and mayors who have paved the way for you and me to thrive. We are heirs to the vision of our city’s founder, Gen. William Palmer, who set out to build a city that is worthy of the breathtaking beauty that surrounds us.

I ran to be your mayor because I want to make Colorado Springs the best city in America. There is good work to be done, and we are already starting.

Last week, I published my First 100 Days blueprint. That document lays out some immediate priorities and specific actions that will position us to accomplish the goals I’ve laid out for our city.

First, we need to continue addressing our emerging issues around public safety, housing and infrastructure and economic vitality for all. I know these three issues are top-of-mind for many Colorado Springs’ residents, as they impact our day-to-day lives.

For public safety, my goal is to protect our families and keep our neighborhoods safe. We will start by establishing a public safety summit to address police recruitment and retention issues. I’ll work with the City Council to refer a TABOR Retention ballot question to voters to support a new Police Training Academy. We will also launch a Homelessness and Mental Health Summit, bringing together mental health practitioners and community leaders.

For housing and infrastructure, we know Colorado Springs needs more affordable and attainable housing. I’ll name a chief housing officer — without increasing full-time employees — to advance this priority. We will bring together foundation, philanthropy and business partners to explore resources in support of a “middle housing fund,” which we know is key to supporting our growing city and the valuable workforce within it.

For economic vitality, I want us to build a business-friendly city. I have pioneered a powerful digital tool in “Permit Partner” as a resource to support the growth and expansion of local businesses. I’ll work closely with local Chambers to continue attracting and retaining businesses that provide well-paying jobs to residents.

And I’ll continue the work to retain Space Command in Colorado Springs. Our community is well-resourced to support our military and their families, and we know it’s absolutely in the nation’s best interest to keep the near fully operational Space Command up and running here in Colorado Springs.

I also will engage our community to build public confidence in government. This work started during my campaign, and my team and I continue cultivating relationships with community groups and leaders. I plan to collaborate with a wide variety of groups across this city to unite our community, regardless of whether you voted for me.

I have spent the first days working closely with city leaders to ensure our administrative culture prioritizes service to our city’s residents. We will also build support with federal, state and county officials to ensure we can get things accomplished with the support of those who can make change at all levels of government.

I stated during my swearing-in speech that “It’s time to get to work.” This is more than a catch phrase — the same day I took that oath of office, I met with our city cabinet to hear from each area on future strategies and opportunities for our great city.

If you’ve read my plan, you know we have detailed strategies to roll out our vision. We plan to hold community town halls and listening tours, continuing the work started during our campaign. We continue to build a team of diverse citywide leaders, looking towards forward-thinking, actionable solutions around key initiatives we identified during the transition.

As we launch into this endeavor together, I’ll repeat my pledge to you I made this past week on the steps of the Pioneers Museum in front of more than 1,000 people:

I pledge to live courageously, lead with empathy, and remain humble.

I pledge to lead by example and create a city government that is transparent, accessible and proactive.

I will work tirelessly to ensure our city government represents the aspiration and needs of its residents.

I look forward to sharing with you, on my 100th day in office, the progress we’ve made and our continued future focus, with my State of the City address on Sept. 14. You can also follow along on my social media pages where I will provide continuous updates.

Friends, greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city. Let’s carry this hope and optimism into working for the good of our city.

It will take all of us to make Colorado Springs a world-class American city, and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead. We are Colorado Springs. Onward and Upward.

Yemi Mobolade is Colorado Springs’ 42nd mayor. He took office Tuesday.

Yemi Mobolade