Mayor makes his case

When you elected me mayor in 2005, I promised to take on the city's toughest challenges: traffic, crime, our failing public schools, and our impact on the environment. When you re-elected me in 2009, I pledged to make job creation my No. 1 priority. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in Daily News Opinion

We knew these challenges would not be solved overnight. But we knew that setting high goals is the only way you accomplish anything worth believing in.

We also knew that we would not always succeed, and that we would sometimes face criticism. But that didn't stop us from trying, because the future of this city depends on our collective ability to address our greatest challenges.