SOUTH PORTLAND — Newly sworn-in Mayor Patti Smith called on city councilors, municipal employees and residents to give “thoughtful consideration of others” as the city navigates potentially contentious issues in the year ahead.
Smith, who was elected by fellow councilors and inaugurated Monday, asked city residents to get involved and to act with compassion and understanding so that decisions made at City Hall are as inclusive as possible.
“Look beyond the obvious,” Smith said in her inaugural address, during which she described various types of people living in the city.
She mentioned senior citizens struggling to pay property taxes; recent immigrants learning to speak English; longtime business owners trying to stay afloat in a changing economy; and older workers retraining at Southern Maine Community College for new careers.
“It is likely that we know many of these people,” Smith said, noting that all are worthy of “respectful listening” rather than snap judgments and preconceived notions.
Smith, who will serve as mayor for one year, mentioned the need for open minds as the council tackles the future redevelopment of the public works facility on O’Neil Street and the creation of a master plan for the west side of the city.
She praised teachers in particular, both professional instructors and those who provide guidance to others in their everyday lives. And she urged councilors and others to embrace the habit of “connecting, sharing and caring through our community service.”
Smith offered thanks to outgoing Mayor Tom Blake, who is leaving the council after serving nine years, including three years as mayor. She presented him with a plaque, a portrait of him to be displayed on a council chamber wall, and a book on Maine history.
Blake delivered a brief farewell speech, describing his nine years on the council as entertaining, exciting, challenging and rewarding. He thanked fellow councilors, municipal workers and other residents for their efforts on behalf of the city and said that he expects South Portland to “stay a progressive and healthy community going forward.”
Laura Moorehead, an organizational consultant who lives in South Portland, delivered a secular invocation before Smith and newly elected councilors Maxine Beecher and Susan Henderson were sworn in by City Clerk Emily Scully.
You are “citizen heroes … for stepping up,” Moorehead said, noting later that “it’s never simple.”
She reminded the council to strive for inclusion and acceptance of difference, and to rely on human goodness in the search for creative solutions to community concerns.
Also sworn in Monday were newly elected school board members Jennifer Kirk and Otis Thompson.
Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:
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