[SPEAKER_13]: If you could stay standing, please, to admit the honorable elected members of the Medford City Council, Isaac B. Zack Bares, Anna Callahan, Kit Collins, Emily Lazzaro, Matt Leming, George Scarpelli, and Justin Sang. Congratulations to all. If you could please stay standing to admit the Honorable 32nd Mayor of the City of Medford, Breanna Lungo-Koehn. For those of you that I haven't yet met, I am Terry E. Cotter. I was born in Medford, raised in the historic West Medford community we call The Ville, and educated in the Medford public schools. They work. I worked just a little ways from here at the West Medford Community Center and am very proud to call myself a Medfordite. I became the city's inaugural poet laureate in 2021 and served two eventful years promoting the art of poetry across the city in a variety of rhythms, rhymes, and riddles. Tonight, after being delayed by a snowy Sunday morning, we are here to celebrate and charge the recently elected Mayor, City Council, and School Committee with the ever-evolving business of running one of the Commonwealth's most amazing and historic cities. My role in all of this will mostly be to let you know what comes next and keep things moving along. So to everyone here with us in the council chambers and to everyone at home watching on Medford Community Media, we're so glad that you could join us for this peaceful exercise of representative democracy in our old hometown. Before we begin, let me say thank you to Bessie Pace and members of the Medford Community Chorale and Youth and Young Adult Chorus, as well as flutist Michelle Corrado and the accompanist, I didn't get her name. Bunny Tabaski. Bunny Tabaski. For their wonderful prelude to Set the Atmosphere, you will hear from them again in just a little while. Right now, I'd like to invite up the Girls on the Run team from Roberts to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And I might add, with liberty and swift justice for all. Thank you, it is now my pleasure to introduce Rabbi Jessica Delera of Temple Shalom to give the invocation.
[SPEAKER_11]: We may be seated. I feel like I'm at work. How many of us had some sort of essay contest or journal prompt when we were kids where they asked you, if you were president for a day, what would you do? I imagine that is familiar. Now, one of the answers that I came up with when I was a child, because I was always that kid, was that if I were president for a day, I would pass a law that would ban paying athletes and movie stars more than we pay nurses and teachers. But this we see as an exercise for children, because those of us who work in actual leadership in the real world, in whatever capacities, from elected government to whatever our careers are, to our own homes, know that leadership is not that simple. You don't get to just say, this is how it's going to be, and then it is, and that's the end of the story. So in the Jewish tradition, we have just started in the Torah reading that we read the entire five books of Moses over the course of a year. We've just started the book of Shemot, the book of Exodus, where Moses gets his call to leadership. God speaks to him from the burning bush. And he has the opportunity to be president, not just for a day, but forever. He gets to be the leader who leads the Israelites out of slavery, who embarks upon that project. And he doesn't want it. He wants first a partner. He wants his brother Aaron to help him with the public speaking portion of it, which he does not feel comfortable with. And then he and Aaron go and they build a coalition of the Zikne Yisrael, the elders of the community of Israel, to build broader buy-in for what the idea they're trying to sell, which is that we should not be oppressed. We are going to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let us go. And no matter what it takes, we are going to make that goal happen. And that is, I think, a model for all of us. Right? It may seem at first that you're supposed to do it alone, but really what you ought to be doing is looking for partners and building a coalition of the people that you are serving. There's a saying in Pirkei Avot, one of the oldest layers of the Talmud, that says, bimkom she'en anashim, hishtadel liyot ish, which I translate as, in a place where there is nobody, You must strive to be somebody, that we all have opportunities in our lives where we are needed to step up. We look around and we're thinking somebody should do something, and we have that moment of realizing, I am that somebody. I need to step up and be the leader, be the person that's needed, make sure that it gets done. And that is tempered with this idea of altifrosch min hatzibo, which means do not separate yourself from the public, from the community. And this is a principle that I see happening here in Medford. I have the privilege of co-coaching with Mayor Brianna with Girls on the Run. It just fills me with such joy to see people who are engaged with the public, who are not separating themselves from the people that they were elected to represent in their various capacities, who have the needs and the purposes of the whole community before them at all times as they're making the tough decisions that are a necessary part of leadership. In Judaism, the person who is leading the service is called, whether it's a rabbi, a cantor, a layperson, is called a shaliach tzibor, the one who is sent by the public to represent the people of their community, not just in the room, but also between us and the divine. And so I ask now, there are many, many names of God, the one that rises to me today is Hamechin Mitzadeh-Gaver, may the one who guides the steps of humankind, guide the steps of these, our leaders here in Medford, granting them the wisdom to listen to the many voices of the people that they represent, and even and perhaps especially those who have been told that their voices don't count. and the courage to build the coalitions toward positive action that is going to put the needs of the whole community at the forefront always. Amen.
[SPEAKER_13]: Thank you, Rabbi, for those words of affirmation and faith. And we would be remiss if we missed an opportunity to celebrate the nation with the singing of, excuse me, with the singing of the Sarsaparilla Banner. So if Bessie
[SPEAKER_05]: O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet
[SPEAKER_13]: So earlier last year, I had the pleasure of passing along the torch of the Poet Laureate ship, the first one in Medford, to my successor, who is a dear friend and a wonderful poet in her own right. So it's my honor to introduce Medford's Poet Laureate, Vijaya Sundaram, who will perform her poem, Message from the Rooted World.
[SPEAKER_06]: technology. Message from the rooted world. Insistent and interweaving, strong and sturdy roots not leaving room for doubt clutch at the earth, where mother trees in daylight birth their treelings which all grow together in the sun of gloomy weather. Fungal filaments transmitting news that seems unplanned, unwitting, but in fact have all found root in storied forests, greening shoots. Take their songs of health and healing through the soil to trees appealing to their rooted sense and strength through all their breadth and all their length. And so do we, through all our stories, all our losses, all our glories, carry messages of sharing in our giving and our caring. Indifferences find common goals, our unique and united souls. And this, our rich community, with caring and humanity, could grow a space that's free of strife, a shining city filled with life, salute the old, embrace the new, reject all wrongs, avow what's true. A forest humming richly green Is rooted in its place between This swaying bridge of birth and death It sings its song and gives us breath So too shall we in growing bands Conjoin our forces, join our hands In different voices, sing as one And branching, reach towards the sun
[SPEAKER_13]: I guess Ray Charles said it best, you got the right one, baby. Ladies and gentlemen, this woman needs no introduction. She is a friend, she is a marvelous vocalist, and she wears a lot of other hats, but tonight she's going to perform for you, God bless America, Stacey Clayton.
[SPEAKER_02]: Please feel free to join me. This is a tough one to sit through and not sing. So help me sing with harmony. If you want to stand, you can. You don't have to, but enjoy it.
[SPEAKER_03]: God bless America, land 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, white with foam. God bless America, my home sweet home. Oh God bless America, our home sweet home.
[SPEAKER_13]: And now I'd like to welcome another person who really needs no introduction. She is the director of the Medford Family Network, and she does such marvelous work all across the city. She's an advocate for parents, she's an advocate for children, she's an advocate for families, obviously, and she is going to present our community message. Marie Cassidy.
[SPEAKER_10]: Good evening, everybody. And thank you, Terry, for those beautiful words. I'm thrilled to be here. So honored to be here this evening. Such a celebration, an inauguration, a new beginning for our new leadership team. May Breanna Lungo-Koehn, our new city council, our new school committee, congratulations to all of you. It's a new day. It's a new dawn. It's a new life. Shall we sing that together? It's a new dawn. It's a new day. Stacy, help me out. It's a new life. And what are we feeling? And we're feeling good. Da-dunce. Da-dunce. Da-dunce. Congratulations to everybody. It's absolutely fabulous. And we all should be feeling good tonight. Let's feel really, really good. As a director of the Medford Family Network for the past 30 years, I say to you with incredible pride and humility that we, and I speak on behalf of my amazing, superb staff and amazing panel leaders, that the MFN, over the past 30 years, that we would not have prospered and thrived and been without the unwavering support of this community, of the Medford that we have, this incredible community. I'm a Medford girl from the start, and I hold deep passion and adoration for Medford, a keeper of my childhood dreams and my aspirations. I have been in a unique position to see and appreciate all that it has taken to really be essential for this community to exercise the power of discovering what it cares about. And never has that care been more evident than in March of 2020, does anyone remember that? March of 2020, when the world changed forever. In spite of the devastation of body, spirit, and mind, this community saw the opportunity to provide unity. Terry, do you like that one? Businesses and organizations came together and presented the MFN with a check for $10,000 so we could reach out to our families and provide greatly needed concrete supports such as clothing, food, diapers, formula, financial assistance to pay bills and monthly rent, to repair cars, to fix broken windows, to purchase medications, to purchase household appliances, and help in any way that was needed. And that's because this community did this. You came together in ways that no one else could have done. I will name so many of you, the Tufts University, the wonderful school department that we work in, our police department, our fire department, City Hall, all of our great departments, Mayor, Office of Prevention Outreach, Department of Equity and Inclusion, the YMCA, the West Norfolk Community Center, public library, local unions, houses of worship, Chamber of Commerce, individual political leaders, other families, I could go on and on. It was amazing how all of you came together. In 1855, the eminent abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, it is easier to build strong children than to repair a broken man, or I'll add, woman. Understanding that, we are determined to succeed at our job to help build strong children across a broad spectrum of social issues, challenging circumstances, and personal concerns, as well as to be the source, this is what our job is, a source of the need to belong, the need to have meaning, the need to have fun, the need to be accepted, and the need to connect. In strengthening children and families, all families, and all those who define themselves as families, beloved to one another, we strengthen community. Now let's look at that word, community. There's a you in community. Actually, it's you in community. You are so important to the success of the Continually Build a Strong Foundation. And we're going to help this administration continually build on the strong foundation that they've already built. That's up to you. certainly for this administration and those that have gone in the past. And there's an I in community. I. I had better do my part to hold you up, to lift you up, to help you see the best in you. And there's a why in community. There's a why right at the very end. It's at the end, but in the end, it's all about you and I. So here's a challenge for you and I right now. We're on the cusp of a new legacy with a new administration. We may not all agree what that legacy is, but I've got a few suggestions. Number one, listen to each other. Truly listen. Why? So you will be heard. Give back to each other. Why? Because in not totally agreeing, we get something that makes us dig a little deeper into ourselves. Maybe offer us a new perspective, a new freshness, a new vitality. Step up, step around, and then step back and maybe even step aside. Make room for others with dignity and respect. Be present by looking toward the future while looking behind. Why? Because it's all we have. It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life. It is beautiful. Treasure it. It is all we have. Because of you, my community of Medford, our full and resource-rich community, our children and our families will always have a friend to know and a place to grow, and we'll never have to walk alone. Thank you. Congratulations!
[SPEAKER_13]: Vijay, we'll make poets out of them before it's over. Every one of them. Thank you, Marie, for those inspirational words. And now we'll have remarks from the State Representative of the 34th Middlesex District, Ms. Christine Barber.
[SPEAKER_01]: Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much to Marie Cassidy. I want to actually, can we have another round for Marie? She is one of the true heroes of Medford. Really honored to work with her. I'm State Representative Christine Barber of 34th Middlesex District, honored to represent neighborhoods in Medford, including Hillside and South Medford. I'm delighted and honored to be with you all here tonight as we celebrate the inauguration of the school committee members and new city councilors. I'd like to congratulate all of you on who are being sworn in this evening. And I'm looking forward to our partnership as we continue to work together in 2024. So I want to welcome everyone who's joined us tonight. I know we're joined by the other members of the state delegation, including State Representative Donato, State Representative Garbally, and State Senator Pat Jalen. I'd also like to welcome the family members and the loved ones of those who are being sworn in tonight. I know how much you support those who are elected and will continue to support them and really appreciate your presence here. And most importantly, I want to thank and welcome all the members of the Medford community who have joined us here in person or who are watching online. So I'm honored tonight to introduce Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. Mayor Lungo-Koehn is a lifelong Medford resident. She was first sworn into office as the 32nd Mayor of Medford in January of 2020. So we know in her first term, the mayor tackled the huge challenges of addressing the COVID-19 epidemic, making sure residents and employees were safe, had access to food and housing amid that pandemic. She's ensured city programs continue to support the needs of all of our residents. Since then, she's been able to launch Medford's first multi-year comprehensive plan to create a 30-year vision for our community. She's created the city's first housing plan and funded needed street and sidewalk repairs throughout the city. Over the past three plus years, I've had the honor of partnering with the mayor, with the rest of the state delegation, as we have funded a number of projects throughout the city. So recently we just secured funding for the city's first universally accessible playground at the Midland Middle School. We had the ribbon-cutting for the Clippership Connector, which is a major multi-use path along the Mystic River connecting our communities. We've also been able to get some municipal grants for climate change to preserve climate resiliency in Medford. And most recently, we took a huge leap forward with Medford's high school, where the school building authority voted to allow Medford to go to the next step in attaining funding for that. And that was a partnership with the mayor, the school administration, the school committee, and a great example of what we can do when we all work together, we can move things. It's good, yes. Definitely clap for that. That is a big one and there are a lot more big things before us in Medford. So on top of all the Mayor's good work in Medford, she has really prioritized programs that support young people, especially girls. And it seems fitting for someone who first ran for and won her City Council seat at age 21. The mayor continues to be involved with such programs as Girls on the Run, who did the Pledge of Allegiance here today, and continues to build support and build confidence for the next generation here in Medford. So I look forward to working with the mayor and everyone in the city as we continue our partnership going forward. So with that, I am honored to introduce Mayor Lungo-Koehn and her daughter Bailey, who is going to be administering the oath of office for her this evening.
[SPEAKER_08]: Bailey was a little under the weather, so this is my daughter Callaway.
[SPEAKER_04]: I, state your name.
[SPEAKER_08]: I, Breanna Lungo-Koehn. do solemnly affirm, do solemnly affirm, that I will faithfully and impartially, that I will faithfully and impartially, discharge and perform, discharge and perform, all the duties incumbent upon me, all the duties incumbent upon me, as Mayor of the City of Medford, as Mayor of the City of Medford, according to the best of my ability, according to the best of my ability, and understanding, and understanding, agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution, agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution. The laws of the Commonwealth. The laws of the Commonwealth.
[SPEAKER_09]: And the ordinance of the city of Medford.
[SPEAKER_08]: And the ordinances of the city of Medford. Thank you. Thank you. You want to sit? Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Rep. Barber, for that introduction and your kind words. Good evening, and thank you all for coming to the 2024 Medford Inauguration. Thank you to everyone who is taking part in today's ceremony. Thank you to Director of Community Affairs, Lisa Coliani, who did all the planning for this wonderful event, and Director of Communications, Steve Smearty, for helping me work on this very long speech. I took out all the dad jokes, though, that you put in. I also want to take the opportunity to recognize the tireless work of our department heads, city staff, my fellow elected officials, and volunteers who have continued to do amazing things while navigating all of the challenges we have faced over the last four years. As I've always said, the successes of this administration are not due to a single policy or person. They're a contribution of ideas from some of the brightest and most dedicated people I've had the pleasure of working with. So to everyone who works in this building and for the city as a whole, thank you for your hard work to make Medford such a special place. I'd also like to thank my family for supporting me while I continue this work. Dave, Bailey, Calloway, Cody, Mom and Dad, I appreciate your patience, sacrifice, strength and love, no matter how hard it gets for us sometimes. With each new term brings a renewed sense of service and commitment to our city. All of us here standing before you, about to accept the immense responsibility you have bestowed, are filled with gratitude and humility. I can safely say that taking this oath is one of the greatest privileges of my life. And though I've been extraordinarily fortunate to be trusted with this honor several times, I never take it for granted. That's a message I hope my fellow colleagues experiencing this again, or for the first time, take to heart. Enjoy this day, cherish the road that brought you to this point, and never lose sight of the ultimate goal, serving the people of this city with pride, purpose, and professionalism. Congratulations to you all. We are at the forefront of the future of Medford, and I'm excited to work with you all and continue the relationships with those re-elected, Jenny, Paul, Melanie, Zach, Kit, Justin, and George. and forge new partnerships with those serving for the first time, Erica, Aaron, Nicole, Anna, Emily, and Matt. Over the past two terms, we have taken so many steps forward in creating a vibrant, equitable, accountable, and forward-thinking city from our hiring practices to everyday decisions we make. We have done the hard work, faced many obstacles, and now look to keep moving forward and continue to build on the foundation we have created. For years, it has been said that Medford has lagged behind other surrounding cities in terms of maximizing its development potential, increasing our commercial tax base, leveraging city-owned assets, and investing in its infrastructure. I shared in those concerns and criticisms while on the Council and made it a priority as Mayor to redirect our development strategy to focus on growth that contributes both to the bottom line as well as addresses key needs in our community. None perhaps more critical to our future than creating more affordable housing options. To help make that possible, my office, along with the Office of Planning, Development and Sustainability, led by Director Hunt, Alicia Hunt, worked closely with the City Council to establish an affordable housing trust. The trust will use various funding streams to help facilitate more affordable units coming to market. I thank the Council for being a strong partner in that process and look forward to working with the new members to expand on its potential. Much of this progress is also thanks to the advocacy and work of the former council that passed a much-needed recodification of the city's zoning ordinances in 2022. Through this recodification process, My administration worked with the City Council to establish a new zoning district, called the Planned Development District, which encourages proposals that specify a mixture of commercial, industrial, residential, open space, or other uses, as well as a DIF district for Medford Square. To help manage our lofty and complex development and zoning goals, it's critical that we have a top-tier team in place. That's why I'm grateful for the work that Bill 40 has done during his tenure as building commissioner, and thank him for staying on in an interim role as we searched for our successor. Our new commissioner starts in a few weeks, which is exciting. But Bill, please know, you have been instrumental in furthering our work here. And by doing this work together, we are seizing on the opportunity to bring real, transformative change to the city. We are in the process of bringing over 500 new residential units to the community through eight residential developments. To further support the housing crisis that is affecting nearly every municipality, we have also allocated $400,000 in ARPA funds to help offset permitting costs of renovations and upgrades to the current and new affordable housing units at the Medford Housing Authority. The guiding force behind our housing development strategy is the Housing Production Plan. This document serves as our roadmap to more meaningful community experience for our residents, and has been crafted with insight from housing advocates, local leaders, and the City Council. I thank everyone involved who has lent their time, resources, and knowledge to help address this evolving and complex crisis. In addition to increasing the housing stock, we are also working to bring new innovative industries to Medford that can tap into the talent pool and transform neighborhoods into technology hubs for the region. There are currently four life science development projects underway. And this is just the beginning. To truly activate the economic engine of Medford, we must continue to support and invest in our squares and green spaces. The next two years will bring about significant change to Medford Square, the central hub of our downtown commercial district. With three undeveloped lots located in the heart of the square, we are continuing that work that is stretched back to 2010. Armed with significant input from our residents, our past economic development director, Victor Schrader, and moving forward with the help of our newly hired economic development director, Sal DiStefano, we are finalizing an RFP to be released soon. With that portion of the square poised for transformation, it's wonderful to see Salem, Forest, and High Street becoming a nighttime destination for families and the public at large. Seeing the square bustling during the evening thanks to Chevalier Theatre and our amazing restaurants, with more to open in 2024, brings such a great smile to my face. That type of draw and that level of interest does not happen overnight. It takes commitment, dedication, and strong partnership between city staff, private partners, the council, and our Chamber of Commerce, now led by the new President Rocco DiRico. Together, we've been able to help strengthen our local businesses in many ways and support their journey through the pandemic. Last year, we awarded many of our local businesses a total of over $100,000 through the Small Business Facade Improvement Grant Program. Also, with so many people eager to frequent our commercial corridors, it only makes sense to fully activate our waterfront property. which we have plans for, and make green spaces in our squares more accessible and pedestrian-friendly. We have officially broken ground on the Clippership Connector, uniting a pedestrian pathway between Riverbend Park and Clippership Park. The path will allow people to walk, run, bike, and push strolls along a section of the river that to date has been blocked from public access. I thank Mayor Burke, City staff, and our partners at DCR especially new Commissioner Brian Arrigo for helping get that process off the ground and now in construction. We are also sitting on a truly transformative and generational opportunity with 28 acres of air rights above the Wellington MBTA station. For decades, this city-owned area went undeveloped and we are now in a position to activate that area and transform it into a mixed-use, transit-oriented residential and commercial destination. We received proposals on what could be feasible for the space and are now in the process of releasing an RFP to hire a consultant to help us move forward in the next stage of the development process. There are significant development projects that will have a substantial impact on not only the landscape of our community, but our projected revenues as well. And while that is a profound positive for our city, it is not the highlight of our future project prospects. That distinction squarely falls on the amazing news of our Mass School Building Authority application. It was recently announced that we have secured a spot in this year's process and we're on the path to reimagining a new state-of-the-art high school. I'm thrilled that through the work of Superintendent Maurice-Edouard-Vincent, our school committee, school district staff, community partners, and our team at City Hall, we now have the opportunity to collaborate with the state to make this project a reality for our community. This would not be possible without the advocacy and support from so many advocates, as well as the City Council who approved moving forward with the application. The only project that may rival the high school in terms of size and scope is that we're also doing our fire headquarters over. Our firefighters need a facility that meets the needs of a 21st century department. Last year, we hired the Gallant Architecture Studio, Inc. to design and envision a new fire department headquarters, and we are about to begin the design phase of a $25 to $30 million facility. In addition, there has been nearly $4 million put towards our fire department projects that are complete or near completion at our substations, and $2 million going towards two fire pump trucks that have recently been ordered to upgrade the fleet we currently have. We have also solicited a reviewing proposal for architects to assist with designing much-needed additional upgrades and renovations to our stations. These needs were on the top of my list when I ran in 2019. And I thank Chief of Staff Nina Nazarian and Chief John Friedman for helping us make it all a reality for the department. In addition to all the work being done to our fire stations and high school, we're also now, through the hard work of Paul Riggi, the city's first ever facilities maintenance director, reviewing, planning, and investing in our facilities by taking important steps to ensure their longevity and usefulness. We're also making significant progress in all things IT related, thanks initially to Jim Silva and our IT director, Rich Lane. Our IT infrastructure, IT's not fancy, but it's pretty important. Our City IT infrastructure is getting an overhaul with the buildings getting connected with fiber optics and important changes to the network inside City Hall to make our system more reliable and support the needs of our departments. In addition to the work being done in city facilities, we are also forging ahead with millions invested towards incredible upgrades and renovations to our parks and open spaces. Thanks to the hard work of staff planner Amanda Centrella, along with our entire parks team, which includes rec director Kevin Bailey, tree warden Aggie Tooden, our chief procurement officer Fiona Maxwell, and our DPW crew, this past year alone, a number of additional projects have either been completed or celebrated with a groundbreaking. Including just this week, we upgraded, we did a groundbreaking for the accessible McGlynn Playground. Many parks and recreation spaces have also been upgraded with new art murals, including our latest reveal by artist Jamie Chan at Wrights Pond. Our most ambitious park project, a major renovation undertaking at Carr Park Broke Ground this past fall. The car park renovation project is split into two phases, and the second phase, which is going to have all seasons basketball court, thanks to Congresswoman Kathleen Clark, who secured us a $1.5 million federal earmark for that phase. Investing in our parks and open spaces is a critical part of our effort to combat and reduce the effects of climate change. Making our parks more sustainable, accessible and resilient is just one facet of our strategy to reduce emissions. We are also taking the same approach to the City's infrastructure and operations. Medford's work with the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness continues as the City was granted over $400,000 from the State in December to expand climate resiliency efforts and $500,000 more recently in grant money from the Barr Foundation. With this funding, the City is enhancing its climate resiliency and emergency preparedness efforts through Medford Connects. Medford Connects, headed by our Board of Health Director, Marian O'Connor, and the Office of Prevention and Outreach Director, Penny Fanioli, will seek to expand and strengthen resources for community members who are most marginalized to build the community's ability to withstand and recover from climate crises in the future. The Green Communities Division awarded Medford $100,000 to make Gulcani Ice Rink and the Department of Public Works more energy efficient and further reduce the city's carbon emissions. As a designated green community, we have committed to reducing municipal energy use by 20 percent from our baseline year, a goal we have in our sights. The City is also committed to expanding its tree canopy. We set a goal to plant over 200 trees throughout the community during the 2023 season as part of this continual strategy. That number builds upon the 180 trees that were planted the year before. Using Community Preservation Act funds and ARPA funding, the goal is to plant trees in greater numbers of species and varieties in locations where they can grow and thrive into maturity so they can have an impact and provide benefits to the greater community. We're also heavily invested in removing tree stumps and repairing sidewalks damaged by the backlog of untreated stumps. As a start, this past year, we removed almost half on the list by investing almost a half million dollars to the tree stump removal process alone, through CDBG, ARPA, and state earmarks advocated for by our state delegation and in partnership with the city council. Thank you, Rep. Barber, Representative Donato, Representative Garbally, and Senator Jalen, for all the earmarks you got us, including on the stumps. And thank you to our CPA coordinator, Theresa DuPont, CPA committee led by Roberta Cameron and our CDBG coordinator Laurel Siegel for making this and so many more projects a reality for Medford. To aid in our climate goals, the city is in the process of transitioning its parking fleet and police department cruiser fleet to fuel-efficient, climate-friendly hybrid options. Just a few weeks ago, the Police Department took delivery of six hybrid vehicles that will be utilized by officers in the field, and the Parking Department took delivery, before that, of three hybrid vehicles. I thank the Police Chief Jack Buckley and Parking Director Faye Morrison for their support and patience in making sure we all transition to a more fuel-efficient way of doing business. The City also secured a $230,000 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grant from the State to assist with the purchasing of an all-electric commercial-grade street sweeper that we just took delivery on. While we've made those strides on the City side, thanks to Traffic and Transportation Director Todd Blake, we've also benefited from a public-private partnership with Lyft and Blue Bikes. About three weeks ago, we completed installation on two new stations, one in West Medford and another at Logan Park, bringing the network to 10, with more coming in the spring. Our EV charging station count has also gone up from 2 to 10 over the last four years. Over the last term, we also cut the ribbon on the Tufts-Medford branch of the Green Line Extension. Reducing our reliance on gas-powered vehicles and investing in green transportation options will only make our community more sustainable, equitable and accessible. But, of course, we cannot forgo our responsibility in fixing our roads and sidewalks. That's why this year alone we've made significant progress in extending the life of our streets through preventative maintenance and leveraging private partnerships to repair portions of major arteries like Winthrop Street, Pinkert, Haines Square and Riverside Ave. In the fall, we began an extensive patchwork program on 34 streets identified in the pavement assessment. Also, over the last year, we crack-sealed 94 streets, which extends their use and improves navigability and drainage on those streets. To coincide with our patchwork strategy, we also invested nearly $3 million in repairs to our sidewalks. About one-third of the total sidewalk funding, roughly $800,000, was used to address sidewalk issues logged by constituents in our C-Click Fix platform that also coincide with sidewalk locations identified in the 2021 sidewalk assessment. Thanks to the incredible work of our DPW Commissioner Tim McGivern, City Engineer Owen Wartella and their staffs, we have repaired nearly two miles worth of sidewalks this past season. We're continuing this work into the next year thanks to the $1.5 million bond that the City Council approved at the beginning of last year. We'll deploy the rest of the funding to address sidewalks and curb cuts on Salem Street and beyond. Leadership within the City Council, School Committee, and City have also been and will continue to meet to figure out our projected assessment, budgeting, and borrowing needs for sidewalks, our major building improvements, and more. Thanks to the support of our Finance Director and Auditor Bob Dickinson, our Treasurer-Collector Judy Johnson, Assessor Ted Costigan, and our budget director, Courtney Cadello. We have come a long way in our new growth projections, how the city borrows and budgets, and we'll continue to work together with the council to enhance that process. And everything we do in Medford is informed through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. With the help of our director, Frances Wojcicki, we are working towards ensuring that services, programs, and events are not only accessible, but share in the values and meet the needs of our diverse community. For the past two years, Frances and her work with stakeholders has strengthened relationships with community members and created lasting partnerships that have yielded meaningful experience for everyone. Whether it be reaffirming the City's commitment to human rights, championing accessible language options for visitors to City Hall, or building on the success of our first-ever Pride Month series events in 2022 with the help of our Pride Planning Committee, the City's desire to be an inclusive and welcoming place for all would not be possible without the work of our DEI office and department heads who support these goals. Our DEI endeavors, however, are not siloed to one office. they reach across departments, programs, and communications. The interdepartmental cohesion is best exemplified by the work being done through our human resource department, led by our director, Lisa Crowley, who, along with Francis, works diligently to ensure our hiring practices are based on best practices and that our workforce is more representative of our community. That's why we've been focused on training our staff and diversifying our staffing. We have made progress, but my commitment is to keep pushing to do better. We need our staffing to represent the community we live in, and I promise to continue this work no matter what it takes. An important part of this project... was the hiring of our Medford Connectors and liaisons who serve communities across the city and are fluent in four environmental justice languages. They have been working to listen and support Medford's diverse communities and help us improve communication policies and programs. We are committed to making Medford safe, welcoming, and are always looking to improve communication efforts and policies to continue to make that a reality. Through this initiative, we have been able to offer expanded translation services through a variety of communication methods. Of course, our multilingual resource line is always available. We are also working to ensure that important information on our website and sent through the City Alert System and other avenues is translated into our five major languages, main languages. This is a first for the City and will allow us to message important City-related information to populations that were previously underserved in this area. The Office of Prevention and Outreach, with the help of these teams, is also working to strengthen resources available to community members who have been affected by the opioid crisis with an over 830,000 settlement from the Opioid Settlement Fund, with the potential for more funding in the future. Using interview surveys and other community outreach, the team is currently working through recommendations and strategies for investing these funds. I'm also happy to announce, as of last week, we hired our new Veterans Director, Veronica Shaw, who will continue the hard work of Jeremy Johns servicing our veterans and their needs. Thank you for joining our team, Veronica. You're a great addition to the staff we have here at City Hall and beyond, such as Pam Kelly, who runs our Senior Center and our Tax Workoff Program, Director Barbara Kerr, who operates our new Medford Public Library, Kevin Harrington, who helped video this tonight, who runs our Medford Community Media, and so many others. For those of you worried that the speech will be wrapping up soon, I'm almost halfway through. It's very hard to try to get every department in there. I can't not do it. I'm sorry. Just kidding. A few brief highlights and we're done. Just today, thanks to Clerk Adam Hurtubise, we were able to swear in and promote two firefighters in the department. And just last week, we welcomed six new police officers. The highlight of our police hires last week is that, once again, we were able to hire a diverse group that represents our community, which was not only a goal of Chief Buckley and I's, but something we are proud of to actually see become a reality. Run Medford, hopefully we'll be back for our third year in 2024, thanks to Dave McGilvery and Dempsey Sports. Our Charter Study Committee is deep into their work, gathering input, researching and holding community meetings on how to best shape our charter and how to move this city forward into the future. Thanks to our election manager, Melissa Ripley, and crew. Thank you to them. They're getting ready for the smooth presidential primary and election season this year. Thank you to our parking team for working on two phases of meter installs to make sure our squares have upgraded equipment, the remainder of which are going live, I believe, this month. Thank you to our police department, who are now equipped with body cameras for their safety, the safety of others, and for accountability purposes. There's so much more, but I've had enough, and I know you all have. We want to listen to Stacey in the Corral, I know. To conclude, I'm often asked what some of my most notable achievements during my time as mayor are, and I always say that no achievement is earned by one person, or in many cases, by one department. Every positive piece of progress that happens here is the result of the team we have here in the city. So thank you again for all your hard work, and in advance for your hard work coming in the next two years. I would also be remiss if I did not give a special thanks to my assistant, Daria Tajera. Her patience and kindness is felt by all. And she has dealt with me for eight years. Bless you. I am so excited for what the next two years will bring and thank you for entrusting me to lead our city for another term. I am dedicated to keeping the promises I've made to you and delivering on this vision for a better future for Medford. And I know City Hall staff and my fellow elected officials are ready to do the work necessary to make that happen. No matter what challenges we face, we have proven that we are able to unite as a community and as a result are ready to take the next step into the future. We're at the forefront of a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous time for Medford, and I can't wait to share that experience with you. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_13]: The whole time the mayor is speaking, I'm thinking of scuba, which is self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. She obviously doesn't need a tank. Wonderful mayor, wonderful words. And now to administer the oath of office to the new City Council, Adam Hurtubise, City Clerk.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you could all stand, please. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me, please. Not everybody, just, sorry. You're going to repeat after me using your names. I do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as a member of the Medford City Council, according to the best of my ability and understanding, agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution, the laws of this Commonwealth, and the ordinances of the City of Medford.
[SPEAKER_14]: Congratulations, Councilors.
[SPEAKER_13]: And now, once again, the inimitable Stacey Clayton to sing Rise Up.
[SPEAKER_03]: broken down and tired of living life on a merry-go-round and you can't find the fighter but I see it in you so we're gonna work it out and move mountains we're gonna walk it out and move And I'll rise up, I'll rise like the day I'll rise up, I'll rise unafraid I'll rise up, and I'll do it a thousand times again And I'll rise up High like the waves I'll rise up In spite of the ache I'll rise up And I'll do it a thousand times again For you For you For you when the silence isn't quiet and it feels like it's getting hard to breathe but I know you can feel like dying but I promise we'll take the world to its feet and move mountains bring it to its feet and move mountains. And I'll rise up. I'll rise like the day. I'll rise up in spite of the ache. I'll rise up and I'll do it a thousand times again. For you. For you. For you. And for you, all we need, all we need is hope. And for that, we have each other. And for that, we have each other. And we will rise. We will rise. We will. We will rise. We will rise. So we'll rise up. Rise like the waves. We'll rise up. In spite of the ache, we'll rise up. And we'll do it a thousand times again. For you For you For you For you For you
[SPEAKER_13]: And now returning to us to administer the oath of office to the new school committee, Adam Hurteby, city clerk.
[SPEAKER_00]: The school committee can rise, please. And please repeat after me. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I do solemnly affirm. I do solemnly affirm. That I will faithfully and impartially. That I will faithfully and impartially. Discharge and perform. Discharge and perform. All the duties. Incumbent upon me. Incumbent upon me. As a member of the Medford School Committee. As a member of the Medford School Committee. According to the best of my ability. According to the best of my ability. And understanding. agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution, the laws of this Commonwealth, and the ordinances of the City of Medford. Congratulations.
[SPEAKER_13]: And now to offer words of faith and prayer as we close, Reverend Dr. David M. Kilpatrick of the West Medford Baptist Church.
[SPEAKER_07]: It's a privilege to be here tonight for a number of reasons, not the least of which is I happen to have a daughter named Brianna. So it's time to pray for the city of Medford as it enters a new year and a new administration. We're going to pray for the mayor. We're going to pray for the city council. We're going to pray for the school committee. We're going to pray for all the wonderful departments of the city, police and fire and school and all the many other departments. and for all of those volunteers who make up committees and commissions and all of the things that make this city such a wonderful place. So please pray with me. Almighty God, great is your faithfulness, Lord, to us. Even on this mild January evening, new mercies we see. Your word says every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights. Our mayor has never claimed to be perfect, but she is good. Good to those who know her, good to the country she has served, good for the community she leads. And so we end this day with a prayer of thanksgiving for our mayor, Breanna Lungo-Koehn. Yet even as we thank you that she is with us today, we set her apart from us on this day for the task of leadership. Be with her. Establish the work of her hands. Allow her to keep her heart of service even when some don't want to be served. Empower her to keep her tongue of eloquence even when the critics are harsh. Ensure her heart to be full of hope even when the malaise of apathy is around. Father, your word has shown us that good leadership demands good character, and so we thank you for Breonna's heart, her integrity, and her service to you. Father, even in this day that values pragmatism, keep this mare principled. In this day that values the shortcut, give her a vision for the long haul. In this day of gotcha politics, keep her mind on true public service. And Father, we recognize that even though the waters appear calm on this beautiful January evening, there are some rip currents in this community. There are some people and institutions who are on the surface give the appearance of integrity, but underneath have a swift current of injustice guiding their actions. Father, give this mare a soft hand and a stiff backbone. Give her a quiet determination that marches toward justice, no matter what she may face. Let her be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. And not just her, Father, but with us all as well. Let us all be voices of encouragement that drown out the voices of pessimism. Let us be quick to act when most are quick to just talk. Let us love in a way that challenges the powerful and comforts the downtrodden. Father, we also ask your blessing on the members of the City Council, the School Committee, all the employees and volunteers of the City of Medford, Working together, they can make this community a place that all of us can be proud to be a part of. And finally, Father, let this be a day for the children of Medford. Let Breonna's life and position be one that encourages hope, and possibility from High Street to Mystic Avenue. Let all the children of Medford know that leadership, influence, and service is just as likely to come from Jerome Street as it is from Main Street. Lord, all that these leaders will need, you will provide. So give them strength for today and a bright hope for tomorrow. In the name of the Lord of us all, we pray. Amen.
[SPEAKER_13]: Now to close us out, in delightful song, You'll Never Walk Alone, performed by members of the Medford Community Chorale, led by Betsy Pace, with Michelle Corrado on flute.
[SPEAKER_05]: Hold your head up high, and don't be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky, and the sweet silver song of a lark. When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don't be afraid of the dark. And the sweet sound of a lullaby.
[SPEAKER_13]: Congratulations, Madam Mayor. Congratulations, school committee. Congratulations, city council. And congratulations to the city of Medford on getting it right.