John DeStefano should get Ron Smith to deliver all the mayoral speeches for him. It would mean that the right words in the text get punched, that the appropriate pauses for applause and reflection would be granted, and that rallying phrases might actually rally a few people. When DeStefano gives a long speech, he rushes through key phrases, misses opportunities for driving home main themes though emphasis and repetition, looks down at the paper constantly, and generally looks like he wishes the speech were a lot shorter.
Ron Smith, on the other hand, preaches and rages righteously.
But the main reason that Smith should give DeStefano’s speeches is so Smith would be distracted from giving any speeches of his own. Smith hogged the limelight at Hill Career High School, first in a rambling intro to his duty of certifying the election results, then again when sworn in as city clerk.

Other observations of the inaugural festivities: other than a trite and terse “look forward to working with all of you” from the mayor, there was no acknowledgement of the horde of brand-new alderpeople sharing the stage with the longterm mayor (beginning his tenth term) and city clerk (beginning his fifth). In fact, no big deal was made of the other exceptional aspect of this year’s elections—DeStefano’s record-breaking run in the office. All was cliché and platitude, so bland that small missteps and omissions (DeStefano reeled off a long list of local and state politicians in attendance at his inaugural, but neglected to mention Toni Harp, who was there as well) seemed to take on major significance. Yet I don’t think these speechifiers are capable of subtlety and mild digs. That gives them too much credit.

There was so much talk of God—Smith’s remarks plus the two reverends doing the invocation and benediction plus Rev. Boise Kimber swearing in Smith—that it made the very concept of separation of church and state seem laughable. That was the spirit of the room. Which explains why Smith got cheers instead of “Because it’s unconstitutional!” catcalls when he said “You want crime to go down? Put prayer back in schools.”