Mayors in several western Massachusetts communities were sworn in Monday. In Chicopee, newcomer John Vieau took the oath of office for the first time.
Vieau was formerly Chicopee's city council president. He was elected to a two-year term in November. He replaces Richard Kos, who did not run for re-election.
Vieau was sworn in along with other city officials during ceremonies held at Elms College.
After being given the oath of office by District Court Judge William O'Grady, Vieau hit on many topics during his inaugural address, including economic development, education and trash collection. He also talked about his approach to being Chicopee's mayor.
"My campaign promise is simply this: I will work hard, and always do what's right, popular or not, with the taxpayers always in mind," Vieau said.
He then recalled why he decided to run for mayor in the first place.
"The very basic reason was that I wanted to do what I could do to ensure that Chicopee is a safe and happy place to live, work and raise a family," Vieau said. "I promise you that every decision that I make will reflect this."
In attendance was Springfield U.S. Representative Richard Neal, a Democrat who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. Neal himself used to be a mayor — he led Springfield during the mid-1980s.
As Neal spoke to the gathering, the congressman recalled advice he received the night he was elected mayor from another former Springfield mayor, Charlie Ryan.
"He said to me, 'Don't get too excited when it's going well, and don't get too upset when it's going badly,'" Neal said.
Other mayors taking the oath off office included former State Senator Don Humason, who took over as Westfield's mayor. Springfield's Domenic Sarno and Linda Tyer of Pittsfield were also both sworn in for new terms.
Last week, Roxann Wedegartner became the new mayor of Greenfield, while Tom Bernard in North Adams and Easthampton's Nicole LaChapelle started their second terms respectively.
