[laughter] before we talk about today's event, i want to meet -- i want to mention debra johnson, who unfortunately had a medical appointment this morning. she wanted to extend our congratulations. ms. johnson has served this agency so incredibly well. particularly, our work with the union negotiations recently, successfully completed. she is an outstanding, dedicated member of the team here. we look forward to working with her for a long time in the future. i want to say one thing in particular. i think a lot of people from staff are here for the mta. one of the highlights for me was to meet with about 50 of the senior managers and directors, getting input in an incredibly awful experience. i came away more proud than ever. i appreciate the input. i believe our selection reflects all the qualities you talked about. let's talk about the candidate himself. he is one of 30 or 40 applicants for this job. we see in him someone that is a very fast learner, who has proven time and again 311 and also at his previous employment in washington. he and his family are daily muni writers -- riders