2018 Begins in Hudson

Shortly after noon today, Hudson's new mayor, Rick Rector, took the oath of office, administered by city clerk Tracy Delaney, in the auditorium in Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House.

Also sworn at the ceremony today were Common Council president Tom DePietro, eight of the ten aldermen, city treasurer Heather Campbell, assistant city attorney Mitch Khosrova, and mayor's aide Branda Maholtz. The eight aldermen present for the swearing in were Rob Bujan and Kamal Johnson (First Ward), Tiffany Garriga and Dewan Sarowar (Second Ward), Shershah Mizan (Third Ward), Rich Volo (Fourth Ward), Eileen Halloran and Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward). Calvin Lewis (Third Ward) and John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward) were not there.

In his remarks following his swearing in, Rector thanked Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton for her leadership and service. He confessed, after working closely with Hamilton over the past two years, to being "constantly amazed by her intelligence and fierceness." "She is one smart lady," Rector declared, "and we are all lucky to have had her as our mayor."

In his first address as mayor, Rector returned to the theme of his campaign--One Hudson--telling the audience that filled Hudson Hall it is was more than a "simple marketing gimmick." "It is something I truly believe in and hope to bring to all aspects of my service as your mayor." He went on to elaborate on the theme:

Divisiveness is such a part of today's culture. It is so easy to drive wedges between people and ideas. It is so simple to stir the pot and create adversarial tensions. Finger pointing, mean-spirited posts and comments on social media, judging others as if we have no faults of our own are frequent and almost commonplace in our society. . . . 

It is much harder to find the common ground. It is more difficult to put aside differences to find mutual purposes and goals. Opening doors that have been closed will necessitate additional effort. Being open to our neighbor's concerns requires being more perceptive and broad-minded.

Rector called for people to work together "toward determining what is best for the entire city," concluding, "Together we can become One Hudson and work toward a greater goal for all."

Before the swearing-in ceremony began, Rector had placed buttons with the "One Hudson" logo on the chairs positioned on the stage, where the elected officials being sworn in would sit. The logo represents the five wards of equal size interlocking to form a circle. Gossips observed that all but two of the newly elected officials were wearing the buttons when they took their oath of office.

Lance Wheeler's video of the event is now available on YouTube. You can watch it by clicking here.  
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