This evening, the mayor and Common Council members were sworn in.  The following committee appointments were also announced:

Finance Committee – David Bogdala, Tod Ohnstad, Keith Rosenberg, Rocco LaMacchia, Daniel Prozanski, and Curt Wilson

Public Works, Water Commission, and Storm Water Utility – Steve Bostrom, Eric Haugaard, Jan Michalski, Scott Gordon, Patrick Juliana, and G. John Ruffolo

Public Safety & Welfare and Park Commission – Anthony Kennedy, Kevin Mathewson, Chris Schwartz, Rocco LaMacchia, and Michael Orth

Licensing & Permit Committee – Jesse Downing, Anthony Kennedy, Curt Wilson, Patrick Juliana, and Chris Schwartz

The meeting then went into recess for 25 minutes so that chairpersons for each committee could be selected by the committee members.  The following were elected chairpersons:

Finance Committee – Daniel Prozanski

Public Works – Eric Haugaard

Water Commission – Jan Michalski

Storm Water Utility – Patrick Juliana

Public Safety & Welfare – Rocco LaMacchia

Park Commission – Michael Orth

Licensing & Permit – Jesse Downing

Eric Haugaard was elected as the new council president.  He was not present at tonight’s meeting.

Mayor Keith Bosman had the following comments:  “Thank you to the families and supporters who made it here tonight to support their candidates.  Also, thank you to all the first-timer’s and incumbents for their hard work.  I’m glad that we can now move on to the real work.  The last four years have been difficult with the economy.  We’ve had low expectations.  The next two and four years, I have high expectations.  We got through the worst.

“Fourteen out of seventeen members have four years or less experience in government, and that doesn’t matter.  They will get the work done in a civil and professional manner.  I know them well enough that that will be done.  We have the I-94 work, the downtown study, the Chrysler property to deal with, the Brass property to further develop.  The population is increasing; that’s a good sign.  We’ve had to balance the budget on the back of our city employees.  Forty-five employees lost their jobs.  Raises have been few and far between.  We have great department heads who’ve done a yeoman’s job.

“The next four years present a lot of opportunities.  I look forward to working with this group, with the new people and the veterans.  We will get down to business.”