Mayor Brennan, city councilors sworn in at City Hall

Michael Brennan was sworn in as Portland’s first popularly elected mayor since 1923 in a ceremony today at City Hall. Also sworn in were city councilors Cheryl Leeman and John Coyne, who won re-election on Nov. 8.

Winning Portland School Board candidates Elizabeth Holton, Justin Costa and Marnie Morrione are due to be similarly sworn in at City Hall in an event slated for 4 p.m.

Remarks delivered during the noontime ceremony were brief, with Brennan and outgoing mayor Nicholas Mavodones (who will remain on the City Council) mostly recognizing colleagues, family members, city workers and others for their support and hard work.

Brennan’s official inaugural address will be delivered at a public event at the Ocean Gateway Terminal at 6 p.m.

The midday affair represented a largely ceremonial City Council meeting, of which Brennan is now chairman, with the added touches of a Portland Police Department color guard and a bit more pomp and circumstance.

For his part, Mavodones, who was one of 14 other candidates who also ran for the publicly elected mayor job this fall, urged his fellow councilors and city officials to be supportive of the incoming mayor, as Brennan is likely to be highly scrutinized in the high profile new position.

“I can’t say enough about Michael Brennan,” Mavodones told a packed Council Chambers room today. “I’ve known Michael Brennan for many, many years. He served Portland well in Augusta [as a member of the state Legislature for 13 years], which many people know. He’s also served Portland well for a number of years in other untold ways.”

Brennan thanked Mavodones for helping transition him into the new office with advice and counsel since the election.

“The last month, he has been a true friend to me,” Brennan said of the outgoing mayor.

 

 

 

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.