Rep. Robinson To Emcee Framingham Inauguration on Saturday at Noon

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FRAMINGHAM – On Saturday, January 1, the City of Framingham will hold an inauguration ceremony at noon inside Nevins Hall in the Memorial Building.

Attendance is limited to those who will be sworn in, including Mayor-elect Charlie Sisitsky, and invited guests.

The public is asked to watch the inauguration in 2022 online in the “comfort of their homes,” due to the continuation of the coronavirus pandemic.

There has been a surge of COVID-19 cases in the City of Framingham since Thanksgiving, and another surge is expected in January post Christmas.

The ceremony will be broadcast “Live” on the City of Framingham Municipal Offices Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/CityofFramingham and streamed on the Framingham Government Channel: http://www.framinghamtv.com.

Besides Mayor-elect Sisitsky, the City’s second-ever Mayor, also to be sworn in will be 8 City Councilors, 9 School Committee members, 6 Library Trustees, and 2 Cemetery Trustees.

Not all who are scheduled to be sworn in plan to attend in person. Some have chosen due to work commitments or personal issues, not to attend the ceremony on January 1. They will be sworn in by City Clerk Lisa Ferguson at a later date.

State Rep. Maria Robinson, who endorsed Sisitsky for Mayor during the campaign, will be the emcee for the inauguration.

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Speeches are expected to be given by Sisitsky, City Council Chair George P. King. Jr., and School Committee Chair Adam Freudberg.

The City Council is scheduled to meet immediately following the inauguration ceremony in the Blummer community room. On the agenda is the re-organization of the 11-member Council.

There is a possibility this could be delayed as the District 3 City Council race has yet to be decided. The special election is January 11.

Mayor Yvonne Spicer, the city’s first-ever Mayor is expected to be in attendance for the inauguration, along with the city’s out-going Chief Operating Officer Thatcher Kezer III. There is a rumored second guest for the Mayor, her former executive assistant Jennique Horrigan, but that has not been confirmed.

The ceremony is expected to last about 60 minutes and will be recorded for those who could not watch it live.

City Councilors to be sworn in are: District 1 Christine Long, District 2 Cesar Stewart-Morales, District 4 Michael Cannon, District 5 Noval Alexander, District 6 Phil Ottaviani Jr., District 7 Leora Mallach, District 8 John Stefanini, and District 9 Tracey Bryant.

Alexander is the first Caribbean elected to the Framingham City Council.

This is Cannon’s third time he has been elected to the City Council. He has been the only District 4 Councilor since Framingham became a City.

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School Committee members to be sworn in are: District 9 William LaBarge, District 8 Jessica Barnhill, District 7 Tiffanie Maskell, District 6, Valerie Ottaviani, District 5 Priscila Sousa, District 4 Freudberg, District 3 Jennifer Moshe, District 2 Ricky Finlay, and District 1 Beverly Hugo.

This is Maskell, Hugo, and Freudberg’s third time elected as a City of Framingham School Committee member.

Library Trustees to be sworn in are Ruth Winett, Isabella Petroni, Steve Malchman, Heather Woods, Leslie White-Harvey, and Jenny DeArcangelis 

Winett is the current chair of the 12-member Framingham Library Board of Trustees and chair of the Framingham Public Library Foundation.

Malchman is also a current Library Trustee. The other four being sworn in are new members.

Petroni is the first open LGBTQ+ woman elected in the City of Framingham.

Editor’s Note: In full transparency, Petroni is the daughter of SOURCE publisher/editor.

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White-Harvey is the first Caribbean-American elected to the Library Trustees

Two new cemetery trustees will be sworn in. They are Nick Paganella and Julie Ferrari.

Paganella at 88 may be the oldest elected leader City or Town-wide. There may have been Town Meeting members elected older, but they were elected by Precinct not across the entire community.

Petroni at age 20 is the youngest woman elected City or Town-wide. George King Jr. holds the record for the youngest person elected City or Town-wide at age 18. He was elected Cemetery Trustee at age 18 and then Framingham Library Trustee at age 21. Petroni is the youngest elected Framingham Library Trustee.