SOUTH PORTLAND — Mayor Misha Pride, three councilors and two new board of education members were sworn in during inauguration ceremonies on Dec. 7.

Jocelyn Leighton, newly elected city councilor for District 1, District 2 Councilor Kate Lewis and District 5 Councilor Deqa Dhalac were sworn in before the council elected Pride as mayor for the remainder of 2020 and 2021.

During the event and over Zoom, Pride thanked former Mayor Kate Lewis for the work she had done in 2020 and laid out the goals that he believes the council and city will continue to work towards.

Although the year has been tough, the city can be thankful for “many things,” including the newly formed Human Rights Commission, the economic development director, economic development committee and city staff who worked to provide a grant program to help small businesses stay afloat and PSA campaign, One Climate Future, efforts to defend the Clear Skies Ordinance, and residents driving those in need to the South Portland Food Cupboard, Pride said.

He also thanked the city manager, who “has helped move swiftly and responsibly with the emergency powers granted to him by the city council to help maintain the health and safety of our residents,” Pride said.

Pride outlined some of the goals of the city council.

“I believe in setting goals for the coming year, our council will continue to fight against climate change and do everything possible to support the One Climate Future plan,” he said. “We believe in science, and science tells us that climate change is man-made and an existential threat. This council will undoubtedly continue to lead the way toward sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, and making sure our res have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.”

From previous council meetings, Pride knows that the council has an interest in combating homelessness, he said.

“We want those who work in our community to be able to live in our community,” he said. “We know that housing stability reduces reliance on public assistance. Families with stable homes use less public assistance, have lower healthcare costs, and the children in those families have better educational outcomes.”

The council wants the city to be as green and as walkable as it can be while still keeping the community’s character, Pride said.

He also talked about the value of diversity and equity, which he said are goals of the council.

“Meanwhile, I’m confident that diversity and equity will remain goals of this council,” he said. “We will continue to listen to our constituents and other stakeholders, including the Human Rights Commission, and those in the community of Black, indigenous and people of color. We will continue to strive for more diversity in our staff and our committees and to make sure that equity considerations are a factor in our decision-making. We’ll make it clear with our actions as well as our words that black lives matter.”

The city will face intense challenges in the coming year, Pride said. The council should be “deliberate and agile, thoughtful and energetic.”

“We have an ongoing pandemic — food insecurity in the us is at an all time high,” he said. “Many renters fear eviction as courts slowly reopen. All the while, our budget this year will likely require intense scrutiny. Time is precious and I will always try to make sure we use ours productively and efficiently.”

After the city council inauguration, two new board of education members also were inaugurated that evening, Claire Holman and Jennifer Ryan.

The board elected Richard Matthews as chair, who thanked parents and the school community for their work this year.

“I can only hope that things get brighter for us as a school community,” Matthews said. “I know it’s tough — it’s not easy. I have a senior and we’re going through all the pains that everyone else is going through.”

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