Meriden's New Officials Take Oath of Office Monday

On Monday night, three new members of the city council were sworn in alongside veteran councilors, Board of Education members, the Mayor, and Meriden's City Clerk.

"It really was an honor," said new Area 1 City Councilor Steven Iovanna (D),"to go from sitting in Mr. Bruenn's calculus class at Platt High School, to having him see me sworn in to City Council."

Iovanna was referring to Tom Bruenn, a veteran Board of Education member who chose not to run for reelection this fall, but was in the audience at Thomas Edison Middle School's auditorium to see new members of the board inaugurated. 

The evening began with a gift presentation to the outgoing members of the council, Keith Gordon (D) and George McGoldrick (D), longtime councilors who both decided not to run this fall, and John Thorp (D) who lost his spot as At-Large City Councilor in the Nov. 2011 election.

Thorp was not in attendence, but Gordon and McGoldrick, the outgoing Majority and Deputy Majority leaders respectively, spoke, each saying that they were proud of leaving the city in its most financially secure position – with pensions paid up and rainy day funds robust, both of which helped earn the city a

Gordon and McGoldrick thanked those who had helped them with their respective 16- and 12-year tenures on the council and offered advice to incoming councilors.

"To the new council: Work hard, work together and, and always remember that your first responsibility is to the City of Meriden. Also important, be aware of cynicism, that growing distrust both of the motives of those in public service, and in the government's ability to accomplish anything good," said McGoldrick. "I believe that that type of cynicism is truly the enemy of democracy." 

The city's Republican registrar Lillian "Toni" Soboleski then administered the oath of office to city clerk Irene Massé (R), who won her 6th term in office after being triple-endorsed in the Nov. 2011 election.

Massé turned around and swore in the three re-elected Board of Education members, Board President Mark Hughes (D), Robert Kosienski, Jr. (R), and John Lineen (D), along with newly elected member Pamela Bahre (D) and Kim Carbone-Pandiani (R).

Carbone-Pandiani was appointed last week by the Republican Town Committee to finish the remaining two years of Kevin Scarpati's (R) term as he moves on to an At-Large seat on the City Council.

Judge Brian T. Mahon administered the oath of office to newly elected city council members Area 4 councilor Cathy Battista (D), Iovanna (D) and Scarpati, along with re-elected Area 3 councilor Brian Daniels, Area 2 councilor Matthew Dominello, Sr. (D), and At-Large councilor Walter Shamock (W), many of whom stood on stage with members of their family.

Daniels, re-elected in November to his second term, will assume the role of Majority Leader, in the place of Gordon, with Area 2 councilor Dante Bartolomeo and At-Large councilor Trevor Thorpe in deputy Majority Leader roles. Area 3 City Councilor Daniel Brunet will become Minority Leader, as Shamock (W) moves from that spot to the deputy role. (For a full list of councilors' new committee and liaison assignments click .) Dominello will again be Deputy Mayor.

Michael S. Rohde was sworn in for the third time as Mayor by Attorney Thomas Luby, before giving a short speech about Meriden's future – touting plans to redevelop the city's downtown, and saying that the progress is projected to draw so many people to Meriden, currently the 10th largest city in Connecticut, it will grow by 13 percent or about 8,000 people in the coming years.

"I have never been more excited and enthusiastic to continue our journey to make Meriden the best mid-sized city in the state of Connecticut," he said.