Meredith Richards says, "The Daily Progess reported it wrong: Our slogan is 'Strength in Diversity' [not Strength and Diversity, as originally reported on March 18th].

This connotes the idea that we are not all of the same mind on all issues, but that we have a strong and unified concept of where we want the city to be in future decades. We agree on such goals as educational excellence, sustainable development, successful transit systems for a more livable city, and safe, well-planned and attractive neighborhoods.

How we achieve these goals is a subject of lively disagreement, but we are confident that with experience, collaboration and input from the community, we will coalesce on strategies that will best serve the city as a whole. Our strength is in our diversity - diversity of opinions, of interests, and of outlooks" (Meredith Richards, electronic mail, March 19, 2000).