Speaker 1: All right. Next up, we have proclamation number 17, dash 0299 congratulating the Denver St Patrick's Day Parade Committee on the occasion of the 55th Annual Parade on March 11, 2017. Whereas Denver has one of the largest cultural parades in the United States and the largest Saint Patrick's Day parade west of the Mississippi. And. WHEREAS, this year's theme, The Emerald Celebration, pays tribute to the 55th anniversary of the parade. And. WHEREAS, The Denver St Patrick's Day parade exemplifies a peaceful celebration, along with a community of diverse citizens who gather together with a glance at the Celtic past and look to the future while enjoying Irish cultural fanfare, pipe and drum bands , Irish step dancing and honoring all divisions of our military to the delight of over 300,000 spectators. And. WHEREAS, congratulations and thanks to all volunteers of the St Patrick's Day Parade Committee, including many who have passed on but are still remembered for their endless hours and never ending commitment, which makes this celebration possible. And. Whereas, we hope the Colorado Sun and the Mile High Air lifts the spirits of all who march or attend the 55th Annual Parade Saturday, March 11th, 2017. And we hope for a warm wind at our backs as we celebrate the Irish culture in the great state of Colorado. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver, Section one, that the Council hereby congratulates the Saint Patrick's Day Parade Committee, a volunteer organization on a well-organized, peaceful and spirited gathering at the 55th Annual Event, Section two that the Clerk of the city and County of Denver shall attest and affixed to seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation, and that a copy be transmitted to the Denver Saint Patrick's Day Parade Committee President James Leasure i. I will move that proclamation to 99 we adopted and it looks like I have a second comments by members of City Council and I'll start, since I got lucky tonight to be able to read this proclamation, even though it's not in my district. But you know, I my my personal heritage is one that is a broad mix of a lot of different things, none of which I am more proud of than the slice of that. That is my Irish heritage. And it was something that my whole life I took a great deal of pride in. Green, to this day, remains my favorite color. And I just want to say that as someone who has grown up in Denver, was a kid in the city and now I'm raising my kids in this city. This parade has been such a joy and a wonderful thing for me and my family to take pictures of my babies when they were just born down at the parade with, you know, earmuffs on so that they didn't get startled by all of the fire trucks coming by. But it's such a great thing for our city, such a great tradition, such a great celebration. And having worked in the nonprofit sector most of my life, I know how much work something like that must be. And so I just want to share my thanks for all of the hard work and encourage all my colleagues to support this great proclamation tonight. Are there any other comments? All right. Seeing none. Madam Secretary, roll call.
Speaker 3: Espinosa. Hi. Flynn. Hi, Jasmine.
Speaker 7: Hi.
Speaker 2: Can I. New Susman my black eye.
Speaker 3: Mr. President. Hi.
Speaker 1: Madam Secretary. Please close the voting and announce the results.
Speaker 3: Eight eyes.
Speaker 1: Eight Eyes proclamation to 99 has been adopted. And to accept the proclamation, I would like to bring up and I apologize if I say your name wrong. Teresa marano and Jay Leasure. Come on up.
Speaker 5: Thank you, President Pro Tem. Yes, my husband is to blame for the Italian name, but I would like to say thank you to the council and I would like to introduce the nine board members. Could you please stand? The board members are the guide. They guide and lead and inspire over 300 volunteers to put this parade on the streets. Our board of directors. With us today. We also have our little Miss Shamrock. Can you give us a wave?
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 5: However, Queen Coleen and Coleen refers to a woman of great character. She reflects compassion, kindness, intellect, social responsibility, and, of course, her Irish heritage. And today we have with us Laura Farley, Queen Coleen. We are most fortunate today to also have our grand marshal. His name is Jim Lyons and he is the honorary Irish Council to Ireland. He was appointed by President Clinton to succeed Senator George Mitchell. Mitchell as a special adviser to the President of the United States and Secretary of State for Economic Initiatives in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland. He was responsible for numerous economic initiatives in support of the peace process and promoting partnerships at all levels between Ireland and the Southwestern United States. Mr. Lyons, a senior partner at Louis Rock, Roth Berger Christie is a perfect choice for grand marshal, and he is with us today. I would like to recognize him as well. Here to accept the proclamation is our President, Mr. Jay Leasure.
Speaker 7: Mr. President, pro tem and council, I'd like to thank you all for your continued support of the Denver St Patrick's Day. A lot. We couldn't do it without you guys and all your support in the background. So thank you very much.
Speaker 5: Thank you.
A proclamation congratulating the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee on the occasion of the 55th annual parade on March 11, 2017.