PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Linda Tyer didn't just vow to serve as mayor on Monday morning. She vowed to "devote every day" to crafting a modern government.

 

"To the people of Pittsfield I make this vow: I will devote every day to protecting our neighborhoods, to creating a community where every person thrives, and to shaping a modern city where prosperity is for all," Tyer said.

 

Tyer, the city's first four-year mayor under the new charter, was sworn into the mayor's office Monday in front of a large crowd. In a brief inaugural address, the former city clerk promised to work with and for all residents in the city. 

 

"It is for all of you, our senior citizens and our young learners, our business leaders and their hardworking employees, our artists and cultural leaders, our dreamers and achievers. It is for all of you I devote myself to building a modern government that seeks opportunity and races toward it," Tyer said.

 

Tyer defeated two-term incumbent Daniel Bianchi in November. She took office Monday with the ceremony and a following reception at the Berkshire Museum. While Monday may be more celebration than work, Tyer said she will work closely with the School Committee and City Council to move the city forward. 

 

"I am deeply humbled that I have been entrusted by the people of Pittsfield to lead our city for the next four years," she said. "In my heart, I carry with me a great deal of respect and admiration for those of you who have blazed the trail of excellence. I aspire to the great traditions of loyalty to purpose, dedication to principal, and perseverance to struggle."

 

Both the new School Committee and City Council as well as new City Clerk Jody Phillips, returning to a position she held prior to Tyer's tenure, were sworn in on Monday. The School Committee is all incumbents: Joshua Cutler, Daniel Elias, Pamela Farron, Anthony Reillo, Kathleen Yon, and Cynthia Taylor. 

 

The City Council has three new members: former Councilors Peter White and Peter Marchetti and newcomer Donna Todd Rivers. The other councilors sworn in are all incumbents: John Krol, Nicholas Caccamo, Kathleen Amuso, Christopher Connell, Melissa Mazzeo, Anthony Simonelli, Kevin Morandi,  Lisa Tully.

 

The council elected Marchetti, the top vote-getter in the at-large race, to serve as president and Ward 6 Councilor Krol to serve as vice president.

 

"I am confident we will have an inclusive and collaborative city government moving forward," Marchetti said.

 

To the council and its new leadership, Tyer promised her collaboration and said Marchetti and Krol's "wisdom" will lead the council in the right direction.

 

"The people of Pittsfield are counting on us, you and me, to bear them in mind as we build mutual respect for one another in order to create our future and realize our shared destiny," Tyer said.

 

She voiced similar support to the School Committee in her address. 

 

"Our children are counting on us, you and me, to create safe schools that give them every educational, social and cultural advantage. It is our obligation to ensure that every child is recognized for his or her extraordinary potential," Tyer said. "Every moment of childhood is an opportunity to strengthen the hearts and minds of Pittsfield's youngest citizens."

 

The ceremony included the Pledge of Allegiance led by area children; invocation from Rev. Peter Gregory of St. Charles' Church; the Taconic High School Honors Chorus singing the national anthem and "So Happy Together"; and concluded with benediction from Rabbi Joshua Breindel from Temple Anshe Amunuim. 

 

"We are united in honoring our past and inventing our future," Tyer said.

 

Mayor Linda Tyer's inaugural speech is in full below:

 

Good Morning and Happy New Year. Today we embark upon a new chapter of our shared history. As we begin our time together I would like to recite a passage from Pittsfield's recorded history. I keep this sentiment nearby to remind me that the fabric of our common legacy endures.

"Pittsfield is a daughter of a loved and honored and honorable Commonwealth. All the traditions, all the virtues and heroisms of Pilgrim and Puritan; all the struggles and triumphs of colony and province; the long, steady effort to subdue and settle and develop the land; the story of leadership and endeavor in the contest for freedom, and leadership and improvement in subsequent national life; all high thoughts and noble deeds which grace history and honor the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, are our heritage, rightly to be used for our inspiration and guidance."

From that January day in 1891 when those words were spoken by Judge James M. Baker to this very day, we are united in honoring our past and inventing our future. In this chamber, we are privileged by the presence of two of our city's judicial leaders representing the Berkshire Probate and Family Court, Retired Judge Rudolph Sacco and First Justice Richard Simons .

Also, with us today are two of Pittsfield's spiritual guides Father Peter Gregory of St. Charles' Church and Rabbi Joshua Briendel of Temple Anshe Amunim. We have here among us other elected officials and dignitaries including members of the Berkshire delegation, former mayors and past city council presidents. They, along with our families, friends, and neighbors have gathered together to witness today's inauguration of city government.

Congratulations Madam Clerk and welcome back! We are in your good and trustworthy hands for all things Pittsfield. Our city is counting on us, you and me, to help them navigate their government.

My sincere congratulations to each member of the school committee and my best wishes as you guide our school community. Our children are counting on us, you and me, to create safe schools that give them every educational, social, and cultural advantage. It is our obligation to ensure that every child is recognized for his or her extraordinary potential. Every moment of childhood is an opportunity for us to strengthen the hearts and minds of Pittsfield's youngest citizens.

Ladies and Gentleman of the City Council – congratulations to each of you. You are the people's legislative representatives chosen to advocate on their behalf, and to exercise your sound judgment in all matters that affect their daily lives. The people of Pittsfield are counting on us, you and me, to bear them in mind as we build mutual respect for one another in order to create our future and realize our shared destiny.

President Marchetti and Vice President Krol – congratulations! You have been chosen by your peers to lead the City Council. Your steady hand, wisdom, and experience will serve us well as you undertake the significant responsibilities on behalf of your colleagues and our citizens.

Together we have sworn an oath to our beloved Pittsfield, to our great Commonwealth, and we have spoken an allegiance to our brave nation. I am deeply humbled that I have been entrusted by the people of Pittsfield to lead our community for the next four years. In my heart I carry with me a great deal of respect and admiration for those of you that have blazed the trail of excellence. I aspire to the great traditions of loyalty to purpose, dedication to principle, and perseverance in struggle.

Pittsfield is our home. Here at home we create opportunity for those who seek prosperity, we strive for economic justice, we have compassion for struggle, we celebrate success, we maximize our talent, and we build a future for this generation and the next. We read. We sing. We write. And make art and follow dreams. Our heritage of innovation, invention, and fierce determination will be our inspiration. Preserving the natural beauty of our surroundings and respecting our environment will be our legacy. Together we will make our city ready for good things to happen.

Coming to know the extraordinary people and organizations of our city has left a lasting impression upon me. Community activism is alive and thriving. I am eager to be united with each of you as you strive, often quietly and unnoticed, to be good citizens.

To the people of Pittsfield I make this vow: I will devote every day to protecting our neighborhoods, to creating a community where every person thrives, and to shaping a modern city where prosperity is for all. I will remember you when I am faced with difficult decisions.

I will celebrate with you when you succeed.

I will honor you in all that we endeavor to achieve.

I will listen. I will learn. I will lead.

I did not walk into this chamber alone. My parents are here today. Every day I am more and more grateful that they are here with me, right beside me, just as they were for that first ballet recital, when I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, and when I had to take pre-algebra two years in a row. Thank you, mom and dad, for your constant vigilance. I am here today, in this chamber, as Pittsfield's mayor because you loved me.

Campaigns are a contest of ideas and an exercise of discipline and strategy. A thousand and one details have to be managed. Strategy must be contemplated and then deployed.

Volunteers need organizing. Events are planned. Lawn signs – all 900 of them – were delivered, and then retrieved. I did not walk into this chamber alone. I brought with me a team of highly dedicated friends and family who devoted an entire year to this adventure.

This moment cannot pass without recognizing each of you. Mom you gave me the first $1,000 donation and then you made 1,000 phone calls. Anne, you brought me into homes all across this city. Chris, you throw a mad party. Marilyn, thank you for the thank you's. Brian, you helped me stand my ground. Christina, you designed the narrative in pictures and words and launched a media blitz. Tom, you carried the world on your shoulders. Barry, you are brilliant and brave and endlessly patient. You are the one who saw my unspoken aspirationsand then you gave me courage. I am here, in this chamber, as Pittsfield's mayor, because you believed in me.

I did not walk into this chamber alone. There is a deep and broad grassroots movement coming from every neighborhood in Pittsfield. They opened their front door when I knocked.

Some held signs in the freezing cold. You cheered at rallies. You wrote letters. You voted. One very special gentleman must be mentioned. Mr. Stevens was the first outside of my family to give a donation, but then he gave me an even greater gift. Almost every week for the entire campaign, Mr. Stevens left me an encouraging telephone message on my answering machine at my home. He often suggested ways to sharpen my thinking and inspired me to keep going.

Thank you, Mr. Stevens, for your good and wise counsel. I am here, in this chamber, as Pittsfield's mayor, because all of you walked with me.

The work begins. The sentiments expressed today will be our guiding principles. It is for all of you – our senior citizens and our young learners, our business leaders and their hardworking employees, our artists and cultural leaders, our dreamers and achievers – it is for all of you that I devote myself to building a modern, agile government that seeks opportunity and races toward it.

But, first let's all go to the spectacular Berkshire Museum – a gem in the heart of our downtown – to celebrate all that is the best of us. Pittsfield. It is our home.

Thank you.