On Sunday, January 3, 2016 Stephanie Muccini Burke was officially sworn in as our new Mayor at Medford High School! She is pictured here with Attorney General Maura Healey, who issued the oath of office, and members of her family, including her daughter, husband, and mother.
Members of the City Council and School Committee were also sworn in on Sunday.
Click here to view the city’s photo album of the inauguration
Click here to view photos taken by MHS student Carly Roy
Mayor Burke’s Inaugural Speech
Citizens of Medford, I am genuinely humbled by each and every one of the experiences we have shared over the last eight months. You have opened up your homes, your businesses, your community centers; and shared your ideas on how to move this city forward. Without you, moving onward would not be possible! I sincerely thank you for the trust you have placed in me to help guide this city through its next chapter!
Good Morning Attorney General Healey, Senator Warren, former City Council President Bob Maiocco, elected dignitaries, our interfaith clergy, family, friends and Medford residents. Thank you all for being here this morning! Congratulations to the newly elected members of the School Committee and City Council, I look forward to working cooperatively with each of you on this stage!
I am in awe looking out and seeing the anticipation and excitement in your eyes that a new day is upon us here in our beautiful Medford. I am thrilled that you get to enjoy the music being provided by our students who comprise the choral, band and string ensemble. We are here today to showcase the young people who call Medford High School their home and I am proud of the uniqueness that each has and what makes this learning environment so very special. During the campaign I told you that I would be a champion for this City and its school system. It starts today!
Today begins the work of charting a new course for a city filled with potential because of its welcoming diverse neighborhoods, open space, the Mystic River, close proximity to Boston and most importantly, its people! It starts today! We are a community that boasts of generations of family history alongside fresh new faces like Mr. Martin den Heijer, who recently became a United States Citizen and calls Medford home. We congratulate and welcome you! This combination of perspectives creates an environment of optimism, expectation and civic engagement! It has and will be tapped to begin the ascent. It starts today!
In order to move forward:
- We will make it easier for all business to navigate City Hall
- We will make it simpler for citizens to access information from city government
- We will provide a quality public school education and you will soon hear its positive stories!
- Residents will want to frequent new establishments in our city
Moving forward starts today!
To my diverse Transition Team – your uniqueness, character, compassion, energy and especially love for our City, accentuate the sole of our Medford! I applaud you and look forward to being Partners in this Progress with you!
For Today’s challenges, we will have Solutions! It starts today with these promises. Promises that I believe are achievable within the next six months:
- Development of an interactive website
- Permitting will be streamlined
- City Hall will be an Open and inviting environment
IT STARTS TODAY!
- Real time reporting of issues to City Hall
- Correcting the Parking Program!
- Increasing the vibrancy of our business districts
- Introducing quarterly ward meetings in your neighborhoods
- Restructuring the Office of Mayor to include city council, citizen, cultural and business liaisons.
IT ALL STARTS TODAY!
As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
City hall is comprised of articulate knowledgeable individuals, several department heads are with me today; they will begin the process of developing a five year capital plan. This will create the framework for improvements to our city’s infrastructure in a planned manner. Priorities will be:
- Improvements to City Hall and its surroundings
- Establish a site committee for a new public safety building
- Upkeep of our schools
- Initiate a “complete Streets program” to create a safer environment for all.
- Upkeep of our schools.
5 Year Capital Planning STARTS TODAY!
As to our Squares:
- Open up the center of our community, Medford Square, to the Mystic.
- Create a streetscape to bring life to our business district
- Create a mixed use design for all of our squares through smart development and planning with special attention to the uniqueness of each square.
Revitalization STARTS TODAY!
As to Arts & Culture:
- Make Chevalier Theatre a centerpiece and the hub for our focus on humanities
- Complete the Studio for public access
- Create a home for our Arts
A Focus on the Arts STARTS TODAY!
We must not forget the foundation of this city, our senior citizens!
- City Hall will work hand in hand with the Medford Housing Authority
- Buildings and grounds will be maintained to the highest level
- Programs for the elderly will be expanded and their wisdom will be relied upon. This included re-introducing the Senior Work Off Abatement for volunteers
Senior Inclusion STARTS TODAY!
I stand here today grateful to the team that brought me to this moment and to all the people of Medford I am honored to serve. To everyone who knocked on doors, held signs, made phone calls and voted – thank you. You made Medford a stronger city and reminded us of our potential.
To the members of organized labor who held labor walks, phone banks and work every day to protect the rights of the working men and women of our city –I will walk with you any day!
To my family: my mother Lee who stands here proudly, my father, who I know is looking down with a twinkle in his eye, and my brother Stephen; to my husband Brian and children Ryan, Connor and Brianna, you are my support system. I am so proud and lucky to have you by my side. I love you.
To the Inaugural Committee that organized this inclusive event, thank you and job well done!
In closing, a touch upon this past mayoral election which some may refer to it as adversarial. I believe it brought a spirited dialogue and renewed excitement in the election process and to those citizens that participated, I thank you. Medford is ignited!
I leave you with this quote by the great Vince Lombardi
“Adversity doesn’t build character it reveals it.”
Medford’s New Chapter starts Today!
Thank you and God Bless!