On 3 May, the City of Liverpool will take a historic step forward, and elect the first ever Liverpool Mayor.
I am the Labour Party's candidate for this election. I want to become the Mayor of the city I love – the city where I've lived all my life.
I want to lead Liverpool proudly and passionately into an exciting future. I want to be the driving force that makes Liverpool, once again, the international powerhouse it once was and still deserves to be.
We are a city which faces massive challenges. But at the same time, we are also a city with massive opportunities. I firmly believe Liverpool is the most innovative, most enterprising, most ambitious city you could possibly imagine.
And during the eight weeks of campaigning to come, I will highlight the very best Liverpool has to offer. During my campaign, Liverpool will host the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. This is a massive coup for us, and will bring 5,000 of the world's leading entrepreneurs to Liverpool.
The GEC was in Shanghai last year, and Dubai the year before. That the Kauffman Foundation has chosen Liverpool to continue this legacy shows just how seriously the world takes our city.
Liverpool will be put under the spotlight, and this is just one example of how far our city has come. Its time to think again about Liverpool. We're not a city down and out, depressed and demoralised.
We are a city which is ambitious and confident. We are a city full of imagination, creativity, and talent.
My promise, as Mayor of Liverpool, will be to help that talent flourish wherever it is found.
My vision for Liverpool is one where all of our residents have a decent home and all our children have an excellent education. One where every family is able to work and earn a living, one where our city is growing and thriving and where we all can share in a bright future.
Ultimately, my vision of Liverpool is one where my values of fairness, equality and freedom are the underpinning principles that govern the daily lives of all of our residents.
Our city faces great challenges. We are still the most deprived city in the country. We still face massive Government cuts. More people are being left unemployed, more families are losing their homes, and our schools still desperately need investment.
Meeting those challenges will require one thing above anything else: leadership.
And showing strong and effective leadership is what I do best.
As the Mayor of Liverpool, I will spend every waking hour striving for a better, brighter future.
The Guardian Northerner will run posts from Liverpool's other Mayoral candidates as the election proceeds. The Liberal Democrat Richard Kemp's will go online at 7.30am tomorrow, 6 March.
