1.2.2018 Inauguration of Municipal Officers

good

morning

I

you

for

e

good morning every everyone and a Happy New Year to all of you getting ready to start our inaugural event so if I could please have everyone stand thank

you

la

la

the

la

oh

Mr Mayor members of the city council members of the school committee members of the inaugural party ladies and gentlemen in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts it is my duty as city clerk of the city of Fall River to call this meeting to order and proceed with the organization of the government of the city of Fall River for the forthcoming year I would like to call upon Reverend

Lawrence Pastor emeritus of the First Congregational Church to recite the invocation please remain

standing on this historic occasion for the city of Fall River I would like to remind you all of a historical passage that relates to the events of today they were recorded in the year 322 BC by Ariston when he says that the test of any government is the extent to which it increases the good of the life of the people of its Community government is a trust and the offices of the government are its

trustees and both the trust and the trustees are created for the good of the people for the past 2500 years including the past last 200 years of our city its governmental philosophy has worked well and it is our prayer today it may be continued by those that are sitting here on this stage and so God give us the courage to our mayor and to him as he leads us with his courage as he meets daily those

challenges of the people that keep our city as a beacon in a darkened world give him the vision that enables our city to honor its past and guide him to build on it for the full potential of our City's future bestow upon our council members the wisdom necessary for decisions that are in keeping with the common good and may our school committee members continue with their educational Insight

that seems that with the quote by melon education is the most powerful weapon that we can use in changing the world so may we perceive that our city and its cooperative and collaborative efforts can be not just a mirror in which we can see only a reflection of our own motives and agendas but a window through which we can see the potential for all of the greater good we con congratulate all those in city

government that witnessed making the welfare the welfare of all the supreme law of our community and Grant that our faith which we confess with our lips may put such courage and hope in our hearts that we may continue to live each day in the spirit of him who seeks of us to do justly and to love mercy and to walk in his steps so keep us aware oh God that as elected officials any service we

perform for the benefit of others is ultimately a service performed in your name and in the ongoing history of Fall River May each of our roles be a performance a performance that lets our light shine before others and on the threshold of this new year oh God walk with us in our Journeys that brings us from where we are to that place where your teachings are not just an ideal but a place where

your mission of Justice love and peace can continue and so walk with us walk with us now oh God Walk With Us in this new year in those paths that provide satisfaction that all of you can say it's a job well done work with us in this world of violence that we may be instruments in providing dignity and Worth to The Human Condition and may the more ating Source behind all that we do

for the benefit of others be to acknowledge that we are not alone but what the good government can do in terms of its relationship in loving families and loal loyal friends and a strong faith that is possible to do all things through him who is with us the example of community service is in this room here this morning oh God so may we be inspired to know that which is worth

knowing to that which is worth loving and praise that which pleases thee most and to seek the wisdom that through us the world and more specifically forever can become a model for all of your intent this we ask in your name so may be done in peace Shalom and

amen kindly remain remain standing as we call upon Michael DL meter to perform the national anthem seven

s oh see can you sing by the da early light what so PR we H at the Twilight last gleaming who BR stripes and bright stars through the peris F all the rarts we watch will so gently streaming and Rocket reg the bombs bursting in G proof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that star spangle with all the land of the free and the whole of the pr

please be

seated I now call on assistant City Clerk in leit to collect the certificates of election and report to the city

clerk

the certificates indicate that there is a mayor elect nine councelors elect and five school committee members elect who are present with credentials indicating that they have been elected to serve in office for the years 2018 and 2019 I will call upon father Jay Melo pastor of St Michael Parish to offer the prayer for divine guidance please

stand the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him whatever you ask I will give you King Solomon still a young man upon succeeding his father the great King David prayed for wisdom he said give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil today we pray for that same gift of wisdom for our elected leaders for our

mayor who continues to lead and govern our city that he may do so with prudence and humility for our city counselors and school committee members especially those newly elected may they work together to advance the common good of our beloved City with particular care for those who are truly most in need and so we bow our heads in prayer Heavenly Father you have created all things in your Providence you have

given us the responsibility to govern the world with virtue and in righteousness and to render judgment with Integrity of heart give us wisdom for we are your servants weak and lacking in comprehension of judgment and of laws indeed though one be perfect among men if wisdom which comes from you be lacking we count for nothing now with you is divine wisdom who knows your will and was there with you when you created

the world who understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what is conformable with your commands send wisdom forth from your holy Heavens almighty God from your glorious th Throne dispatch her that she may be with our elected leaders that they may grasp what is pleasing to you and what is beneficial to our city Lord God Almighty and everliving father you have brought us in safety to

this new day bless our Mayors bless our mayor our city counselors and school committee members our police officers firemen and all serving our city preserve us with your Mighty power that we may not fall into error nor be overcome by adversity and in all we do direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose we ask this through Christ Our Lord amen

Kylie remains standing for a rendition of God Bless America which will be performed by Melissa Murphy

Le God Bless America that I love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains to the Prairies to the oceans wa with God bless America my home sweet home from the mountains to the Prairies to the oceans wait with God bless America my home sweet home God bless America my home

sweet you may be seated

we will now proceed to administer the oath of office to Mayor elect jel F karea II Mr

Mayor the mayor will be joined by his

mom please raise your right hand Mr Mayor I state your name I jel F II do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and impart partially perform that I will faithfully and partially perform the duties of the office of Mayor the duties of the office of Mayor of the city of Fall River the city of river to the best of my ability and understanding to the best of my ability and understanding in accordance

with the Constitution and laws in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this Commonwealth of the United States and of this Commonwealth and the ordinances of the city of Fall River and the ordinances of the city of Fall River so help me God so help me God congratulations

we will now proceed to administer the o of office to members of the city council as the names of the councilors elect are called they will please rise Sean e kadim Joseph D camarra Steven A camarra Bradford L Kilby Pam La Liberty laau Steven R long Leo o peler Cliff Ponte and Derek R VES

please raise your right hands I state your name I do solemnly swear Solly swear that I will faithfully and impartially perform that I will faithfully and impartially perform the duties of the office of city counselor the duties of the office of City Counsel of the city of Fall River of the city River to the best of my ability and understanding to the best of my ability and understanding in accordance with the

Constitution and laws Accord to the Constitution laws of the United States and of this Commonwealth of the United States and of this common and the ordinances of the city of Fall River the of the city of river so help me God so help me God for the members of the council step forward in

in

yeah

we will now proceed to administer the oath of office to the members of the school committee as the names of the school committee members elect are called they will please rise Kevin agar Paul Coogan Mark Costa Joshua e hler and Thomas

Cory please raise your right hands I state your name do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and impartially perform that I will faithfully and impartially perform the duties of the office of school Committee Member the duties of the office of school committee member of the city of Fall River of the city of Fall River to the best of my ability and understanding to the best of

my ability and understanding in accordance with the Constitution and laws accordance with the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this Commonwealth of the United States and of this Comm and the ordinances of the city of Fall River and the ordinances of the city of Fall River so help me God so help me God please step

forward

seven

ordered that we now proceed to elect by a Viva vosi vote a president of the city council for the year 2018 is there a motion to adopt the order all those in favor those opposed osed the order is adopted as the counselor's names are called they will reply with the name of the candidate of their choice for the office of President kadim Clifford a Ponte Jr Joseph CRA Joseph Steven Kamar Steven C kby Clifford P

leau long C heler Joe C Pony py and foris

Jo as both candidates have received four votes and we have one single vote for councelor Steven CA is it the council's intent to vote again councelor kadim Leed Ponte Jr Joseph CRA Joseph C Steven C Steven Kilby Clifford P leau cord long Joseph pela cliff Pony Ponte Andis Jo

CRA councelor Pony having received five votes is hereby declared President of the city council for the year

2018

President elect please step forward for administration of the oath of office like to move to make it unanimous second so

noted please raise your right hand I state your name I Cliff Ponty do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and impartially perform that I would faithfully and impartially perform the duties of the office of president of the city council the duties as president of the city council of the city of fall Riv of the city of fall Riv to the best of my ability and understanding to the best of my ability

and understanding in accordance with the Constitution and laws in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the United States and of the Commonwealth of the United States and this Commonwealth and the ordinances of the city of Fall River and the ordinances of the city of Fall River so help me God so help me God congratulations thank

you thank you Madame clerk Mr Mayor school committee members fellow colleagues dignitaries family friends supporters good morning and thank you before I begin my opening remarks I would like to take this moment to thank my colleagues for their support it is my honor to continue to serve the hardworking men and women of this community this time as your city council president so thank you very much I would

also like to thank councelor Shan kadim for his two years of service as our council president your knowledge your wisdom and your commitment to being a leader did not go unnoticed these last two years so I would like to thank Sean kadim for that as well so two years ago I sat on this very stage as a freshman City councelor I was a little nervous but I was extremely optimistic I also believe that we were

at the dawn of a new era an era of economic revitalization better opportunities for workers and businesses improved infrastructure Parks roads and schools I realize then and now that these are lawfully and Elusive goals today I am more confident now than I was then that we can accomplish these results more now because I've gained a greater understanding of the commitments passions and ideals of the people of

this great City the people of Fall River remind me and all of us every single day of their hard work and their determination I also knew that we had challenges ahead but as one counselor I can tell you that I was prepared to embrace the opportunity to serve over the last two years I've worked with some outstanding and dedicated and passionate city leaders as we say goodbye for now

to councelor ceris councelor Mitchell and Council vice president Linda Pereira we thank them for their service to our city we also kick off a brand new term with what I know will be a strong councel who will hit the ground running as your council president it is my honor to be your leader as we continue to move down a path of great success and just look at who will be your city leaders

over the next two years counselor kadim a counselor whose strength is with municipal government and City finances his years of experience on the school committee City administrator and our council president over the last two years will serve the people in this community well councel Joseph Camara who was who has proudly served this community for over 22 years who has a great ability to collaborate with his

colleagues and the administration his years of service to our city not only as a counselor but as council president will serve this Council and Community well councelor Steven CRA who is known by many for his Progressive ideas and positions an advocate for the people always advocating for the taxpayers your ideas your positions and your years of experience both on the school committee

and city council is going to serve this city well over the next 2 years as it has for several years and decades councelor Brad Kilby who we welcome back to the council with open arms a local City attorney former City Assessor and a friend to all of us councelor Kilby's dedication to and I quote always looking out for the best interest of the city has not gone or will ever go overlooked

in all his years in city government we proudly welcome back councelor Kilby to council chambers councelor La Liberty leau who joined me two years ago as a fresh counselor and who has demonstrated her abilities to not only serve as a counselor but as a neighborhood leader and the chair of the Public Safety Committee she's always and I'm sure will continue to advocate for Public Safety

and a better Fall River Council along who we know for his noons approach and his burning desire to get things done and move this city forward his years of experience in city government real estate insurance as a professional and a city counselor will continue to serve this city well councelor Leo peler well everybody knows Leo's back Leo's back with his 30 plus years of experience and one of the

longest serving City counselors in the city's history his commitment to constituent Services as well as his vision for moving our city forward and of course we all know he's going to make us laugh every now and then and councelor dere V who is the new addition to this Council and based on my conversations I've had with Council of AAS his commitment to doing what is best for this city and

moving the city in the right direction was apparent I hear it and I see it in him and I'm looking forward to working with him as well as all of my colleagues and Mr Mayor I look forward to working with you and your Administration and your team as well your vision your passion for being Innovative and doing things a little different than the way they used to be has been well received by many as

council president I'm looking forward to what lies ahead and how this Council will be able to work in collaboration with your Administration but still hold you accountable in being that checks and balances folks behind me are folks who are being sworn in to you today to serve you but the hardworking men and women of this community are going to get a good group both on the city council and the

school committee everyone has seen the faces they've heard the hopes they listened to the campaign ideas and Promises and each one of us has been motivated by those in the city who our constituents those who deeply want to see the city rise and be one of the greatest and best cities in this Commonwealth this morning each one of us are in receipt of a sacred gift a gift which is the Public's trust and hope for

a better city as we move forward each one of us the mayor school committee members City Council Members we ask for your prayers and your support one thing we all need to remember is that service is the tangible way we can demonstrate our own acceptance of responsibilities as elected leaders when we put others in front of ourselves when we sacrifice self-interest in the name of collective

responsibilities when we stand with others than going into it alone we do it because we recognize that the responsibilities that we have are greater than any one of us so while I stand before you here today all of us are being sworn to accept and undertake those responsibilities as servants to you the citizens of Fall River as I conclude people tell you that Fall River is a poor City yes we have our

challenges sometimes we get a lot of criticisms but those on the outside do not know Fall River like we do they don't know the teachers the police officers the firefighters the emergency personnel and government service professionals they don't know the Private Industry workers and the business owners all who go out every single day to make a better life for their families and their Community for that I say we

are going to do this Fall River we have too much character too many great hardworking men and women to fail let me leave you with this thought throughout time the greatest accomplishments have been achieved when people of opinions and experiences have found Common Ground let us Endeavor to move forward with all with all of that in our hearts may God bless you and God bless all of us for the next two years thank

you we have a vote on the motion to make it unanimous

yes

on the vote for unanimity councilors kadim yes Joseph CRA yes Steven CRA yes Kilby yes alty laau yes long yes peler yes fores yes and pony yes with your permission Mr President I will proceed with the order of business ordered that we now proceed to elect by a via vosi vote a vice president of the city council for the year 2018 motion is in order to adopt second all those in favor those opposed the

order is adopted as the counselor's names are called they will please reply with the name of the candidate of their choice for the office of Vice President councilors kadim Joseph Kamara Steven Kamara Kilby Steve long La Liberty leau long heler vus Steve and president Pony P Liberty

la councelor la Liberty labau having received five votes is hereby declared vice president of the city council for the year

2018 will the vice president elect please step forward for the oath of office raise your right hand I Pam Liberty leau I Pam Liberty leau do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and impartially perform that I will faithfully and impartially perform the duties of the office of Vice President of the city council the duties in the office of Vice President of the city council of the

city of Fall River to the City PA River to the best of my ability and understanding to the best of my ability and understanding in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth and with the Constitution the Constitution of the United States of the United States and the ordinances of the city of Fall River and the ordinance of the city of Fall River so help me God so

congratulations well my comments will be very brief I would just like to thank my colleagues on the council for this vote it's uh actually very unexpected so I did not prepare a speech I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that I'm also currently wishing I had taken that public speaking class last semester so my speech will be brief like I hope our upcoming Council meetings are I think all of us on the stage really

just want a more harmonious Council a more more harmonious relationship with the administration and really just want what's best for the city of Fall River thank

you yes second on the vote for unanimity councilor Kadeem yes Joseph CRA yes Steven CRA yes Kilby yes lty leau long P here yes faas yes president Pony yes the audience will remain seated while musical selections are performed by the dery high school concert band under the direction of Matthew MC Mullen band director

on

oh

h

the

the

I will now call upon the honorable jel F ker the second mayor of the city of Fall River to deliver the inaugural address Mr

Mayor thank you thank you thank you everybody good morning good morning thank you thank you how about a round of applause for our dery band huh the orchestra excellent job excellent job so it was getting it was getting lonely over there sitting by myself uh so let me be the first to say congratulations to president Ponty president of the city council so uh good morning friends family and citizens of the great city of

Fall River Massachusetts let me start out by congratulating all of our elected officials who just have been sworn in this morning thank you for your commitment to serve our city along with our governmental staff and myself thank you to our state delegation Senator Mike R Representatives alen Sylvia Carol Fiola and Paul Schmidt together along with our federal

delegation together along with our federal delegation and the baker PLO Administration we will continue to move the city of Fall River forward I also want to thank every single City employee those that are here from department heads to employees throughout the entire community at our fire stations at our police department at our schools at our DCM give them a huge round of applause you make our city work every single

day and a very special thank you uh to my family who are here today my mom my dad my sister my grandmother my aunt my extended family my aunts and uncles were here today thank you for the love and support that you've shown me uh since birth and thank you for your continued support each and every day I can't do this job without you so thank you and a

round of applause to them as well I love you guys I want to thank all my supporters who are here today uh and all of our supporters everybody on the stage has a strong amount of support within our community uh together with your support and those that are in the auditorium and outside in our community you have given each of us on this stage the responsibility and privilege to make a positive impact not only on this

community but even more importantly in each of your lives the lives of your family and that's a huge responsibility that we all take very seriously 24 months ago I had the honor and privilege to stand on this very stage and take the oath of office on that morning the city of Fall River faced many challenges challenges that had to be met with Innovation hard work and cooperation we were a city that could

not exceed net School spending a city that had drained its stabilization account a city that asked its Public Safety officials and Personnel to do more with less 24 months later we are a very different city we did not overcome every single challenge but we have made progress and my message today and every day is that through cooperation the results and progress that you have seen over the last two years will

continue the word cooperation means the process of working together to the same end that end is a better City a better city is achieved each and every day because of the cooperation ation of our city employees our citizens and our elected officials cooperation although sometimes very difficult is very possible we've done it before and we shall do it again and it is my pledge to all of you today that I intend to work

cooperatively with all of our elected officials for the sole benefit of our Community I am so grateful to be the mayor of this great City and to have been reelected as your mayor so that together we can continue the stable progress that you have experienced and seen over the last two years together with our city council and our school committee we've accomplished so much we've overcome challenges in charted a

new course a course that renews fall River's Central promise the promise that you and your family can make it here together we achiev what was previously thought not to be possible we eliminated a trash fee we reestablished a healthy stabilization fund and fix the city's financial problems we prioritize education and prove that you do not have to choose funding between schools and Public Safety we exceeded net School

spending reduced classroom sizes and we ensured that teachers had a job to return to after the summer break we prioritize Public Safety in what seems to be a more dangerous and challenging World our public sa safety officials met the Call of Duty with a little more manpower new equipment and a promise from this Administration for more not less we

began we began to chart a new economic development course for an evolving Fall River a course that begins on the heels of recent economic progress today Amazon and South Coast Marketplace employ thousands our streets and sidewalks are improving our Waterfront for the first time in Generations is booming armed with the lessons of the past and tools for the future our Economic Development

policy will refocus and work to improve the many neighborhoods that exist throughout entire Community from the Flint to North and South Main Street to bford Street Columbia New Boston Road from the north end to the South End to Center City all of these parts of our community are important and will continue to progress these accomplishments have laid a solid foundation that has moved our city

forward when Economic Development Public Safety and education operate in a vacuum independently from one another the city cannot move forward it's held back there must be a universal effort on all three fronts together with our team and every Department along with all of our elected officials the city is primed and ready for even greater progress over the next 2 years in the in the coming months you

will hear and see our next budget and list of priorities take shape we have put in motion a plan to fight the opiate crisis that has plagued our city by increasing our drug rates and getting drug dealers off the streets while providing more treatment options for those in need in the coming months our Economic Development strategy will be unveiled ushering in new projects more jobs and a

strategic plan to build our downtown districts and our Waterfront streets will come alive with the completion of our streets skate projects and many more streets and sidewalks will continue to be repaved we will continue to be fiscally responsible so that future Mayors and future city councilors and future school committee members can be creative and confident rather than have to make the tough choice of what to cut

and who to cut we will add more money to our stabilization account and begin to return our savings to our taxpayers new streams new streams of Revenue have been in the works and will begin to flow to our city coffers offsetting the burden on our taxpayers and leading to the elimination of the pay as you throw purple bag program PA River has always promised its residents an opportunity a chance of

success and happiness whether it was the boom of the textile industry in which Fall River led the Industrial Revolution to today's modern Fall River which generations of people built a city on a hill always reaching for the sky when we look to our past Fall River rights we have so much to be proud of and we have so much to learn from today we look not just forward but we look upward like the

many smoke stacks and Steeples that Define our city the best days of Fall River are not behind it but rather in front of us today on this stage today on this stage we Rea we reaffirm relationships and Forge new ones and it is my hope that those relationships work cooperatively for the benefit of every citizen today and together we build a greater stronger Fall River for all generations together

we will continue the stable progress of investing in education and providing the best environments for students to learn and grow together we will continue to support our Public Safety departments with new equipment and more manpower join me and our city council and our school committee in the coming months and years ahead to move this city not only forward but upward to Greatness

with confidence and purpose thank you and God bless you God bless your families and God bless the great city of Fall River Massachusetts thank you thank you thank

you please remain standing for a rendition of the battle h of the Republic performed by the dery high school concert

band

la

la

w

the

please be seated as we call upon cancer Richard Walberg chaplain of the Fall River Police Department to deliver the

benediction good morning as you know we live in an age of specialist in the medical field you have Specialists for every conceivable body part in the Army you have specialist four equivalent to the rank of Corporal being the most Junior specialist s equivalent to Sergeant First Class being the most senior and so the list goes on judging from the following incident specialization has even invaded the realm of the

ministry a few years back a new reporter assigned to the Notre Dame football team asked the student manager I understand you carry a chaplain with you to pray for the team that's right answered the student would you mind introducing me to him inquired the reporter be glad to replied the student but which one do you want the offensive chaplain or the defensive chaplain many times a politician has put

on the defensive and is forced to take the offensive which brings to mind two quotes one by the late colorful Illinois Senator ever dson who said I am a man of fixed and unbending principles the first of which is to be flexible at all times and the second by Abraham linkoln on the accusation that he was Two-Face if I had two faces would I be wearing this one friends to know jel Korea is to love

jel Korea his goal is to better the all this Applause reminds me when I was eight or n years old I went to a TV show in New York and they have the prompter telling the audience when to clap so at the end I asked my parents are we having applesauce after they'll explain it to you later mayor K's goal is to better the plight of Fall River as opposed to self

aggrandisement one month ago judge Macy donated a b a baby grand piano to the city in memory of his beloved Uncle Bentley and at the ceremony I pointed out that our families are built much as good as a good Orchestra is built not with every member playing the same instrument or the same notes but with every member knowing his and her own instrument blending it with the others and achieving a Harmony that produces a

unified whole as we heard today and I you can you can applaud and I compared the orchestra to the people of Fall River and its competent conductor jel kah who has accomplished much in only two years if you notice many politicians running for office are guilty of a dark perception where they see only gloom and doom and tell us how terrible everything is I believe we have a mayor with a

clear perception he has the enthusiasm of Youth and the perception of maturity one of the most difficult tasks of a leader is the ability to unite opposites and synthesize conflicting points of view our mayor jel Kare has the Spirit of Courage and conviction in the goal of ameliorating the State of Affairs in fall river is it an easy task far from it however mayor kareah has the

fortitude motivation and perseverance to make it happen he needs the cooperation of everyone in order to succeed and so far he has shown an awesome and potential ability let us pray almighty God grant mayor Jazel Korea the health and support to continue his mission may his esteemed opponents give him the opportunity to continue to prove himself worthy as a leader capable of mending fences and uniting

disparity and opposing forces as much as humanly possible may we all capitalize on the positive and with everyone's assistance help mayor Korea amarate negative conditions May the present time in history be a Prelude to an infinitely better future we pray this in your holy name amen Mr President there's no further business before this Council and with your permission I will adjourn the meeting is there a motion to

adjourn all those in favor those opposed hearing none the motion is carried and this meeting is now adjourned ladies and gentlemen this concludes the inaugural exercise we thank you sincerely for your attendance and wish to extend to you our warmest wishes for a happy and healthy New Year while the mayor city council school committee and inaugural party are escorted from the auditorium will everyone please

rise

la

J

the

I

the

world

oh

here