A Partial Transcript of Cindy Bass' Election Night Victory Speech

defeated on Tuesday in the race for that City Council slot, winning about 88 percent of the vote.

Bass thanked her supporters in her Election Night speech from in Chestnut Hill before moving on to talk about her future goals as councilwoman. Here's a transcript of that second portion of her speech.

Thank you for allowing me to do something and be someone that I have always wanted to be, and (to do) something that I have always wanted to do, which is to be a public servant in the truest sense of those words. And so I thank you for giving me that opportunity.

This is a job that just cannot be taken lightly. Lives are on the line, communities are in distress and time is of the essence. We cannot miss a minute. We must take advantage of every opportunity, and we will.

We do great things in this city. We're a three-state region touching over 5 million people. We're a region of eds, and meds, and pharmaceuticals. We have over 80 educational institutions in this area. We help feed this nation, moving more than 70 million cases of produce up and down the east coast right here from Philadelphia, from our new terminal. Geographically, we're located between New York and Washington. We have one of the largest metropolitan economies for all regions in the world. We run an airport on land the size of a postage stamp compared what other airports have to work with, and we're one of the busiest along the East Coast.

We do good things here in Philadelphia. And we're going to do even more. I am so excited. And I want you to be excited too. I am so proud to be a Philadelphian. I'm proud to be from North Philadelphia. I'm proud to be a graduate of Philadelphia public schools, and Temple University. I am just so happy for what this city has done for me. And Philadelphia, I believe, is a great city because of the citizens and because of their greatness. 

And I want to focus on doing just that—focusing on the citizens, and making sure everyone has the opportunities that I've had. Through the Philadelphia public school system. Through opportunities, through jobs, through employment and other opportunities. So I look forward to working with so many folks. I look forward to fighting for the future of our children, our seniors and those in need while strengthening our business community that will partner with us to bring in good paying jobs and opportunities. I intend to be a partner with my colleagues on Council to fight blight and clean up our communities and spread the word to our residents that you don't have to have things in your community that you don't want. And I will fight with you to make sure that your neighborhoods are the neighborhoods that you want.

And as the only freshman woman to be elected this year on the Council, I will need you, the residents of the 8th District, to partner with me to get things done. I cannot do it without you. And I'm going to say that again. I cannot do it without you. I need your support and I need your help.

In closing, I just want to take a moment, and I want to send thanks and well-wishes to Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller. I want to thank her for her many years of community service, and community service is not easy. And so, as she moves on with her retirement and her life, I want to send out a special thank you to her for her service to all of us.

And again, in closing, I want to thank all of you who are here to night—and those who are not here—as we start moving in a new direction together. I just couldn't do it without you. I wouldn't be here without you. I know it. And I want to take a moment and say hello to everybody here if I haven't already had an opportunity to say hello and how much I appreciate you. I want to take that opportunity, so don't leave yet, please.

(Bass then turned the mic over to Councilwoman-at-Large Blondell Reynolds Brown as the crowd cheered.)