“Special,” “significant,” and “historic” were all terms used to describe the swearing-in ceremony held Sunday, January 3 for newly elected Democratic members of the Sweden Town Board as well as a newly appointed trustee on the Brockport Village Board.
Mary Rich, Lori Skoog and Annie Crane were sworn into office by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter during ceremonies at The Center, 133 State Street, in Brockport.
Rich and Skoog were elected to the Sweden Town Board in November. They replace outgoing Council Member Rebecca Donohue and Council Member Donald Roberts, who unsuccessfully sought re-election.
Rich Fenton served as Master of Ceremonies during the January 3 event and noted the election of the two Democrats as well as the appointment of Crane, “says an awful lot about the relationship between the Town and the Village.”
Fenton noted that a mix of Democrats and Republicans on the Town Board will, “increase the amount of transparency and open government,” and commended the Sweden Democratic Party for fielding qualified candidates in the last election – giving voters a choice at the polls.
“Sweden is a model for towns in Monroe County and other surrounding counties,” Fenton said.
Lori Skoog thanked her supporters and Rep. Slaughter, and recognized the mix of Town and Village officials present. “This is a good sign,” she said. “We want to work together with the Town and Village. This is a very historic day. It has been one heck of a journey and I thank you very much.”
Mary Rich said her 92-year old mother in Minnesota followed the election carefully and, “was my biggest cheerleader.” She read a quote from Margaret Mead printed on a magnet given to her by her mother recently as a Christmas gift.
“Never doubt that a small group of small, thoughtful citizens can change the world,” the quote read in part.
Rich called on her fellow Sweden residents to, “stay committed…. we want to work with you and for you.”
Before the swearing-in ceremony, Rep. Slaughter called the event, “The highpoint of the year for me. I’m excited about the people you’ve elected here.”
Slaughter said she took an interest in the campaign early on and was excited to see what was happening in Sweden.
She said the newly elected leaders, “…want to make a good difference… their only idea is to make it better.”
Skoog and Rich both said they have met more than once with Sweden Supervisor Rob Carges since the election.
Carges and Town Clerk Karen Sweeting attended the ceremonies. “I will do my best to work with the two new people,” Supervisor Carges said of Skoog and Rich. “I’ve already met with them several times. We all want to do the right things for the community.”
Photos by K. Gabalski
