WARWICK MAYOR AVEDISIAN TAKES OATH FOR 6TH TIME
By Barbara Polichetti

Providence Journal
N_INAUGURATION_01-07-09_5TCSGBT_v13.3c7df92.html
J an 7 2009
RI

WARWICK — Redcoats marched on City Hall last night, but it was
not a British invasion. It was the measured steps of the Pawtuxet
Rangers Fife & Drum Corps as it provided a splash of color and sense
of history as Mayor Scott Avedisian was sworn in for his sixth term.

More than 350 people filled the City Council chambers for the ceremony
that included the oath of office administered to the City Council
and School Committee members.

The event, which consisted only of speeches and choral selections
in the council chambers with no reception afterward, was austere
compared to years past when parties and formal balls marked the start
of new two-year mayoral administrations. Still top state officials,
including Governor Carcieri, were in attendance to applaud Avedisian
as he retained the helm of the state’s second-largest city.

"I always come here and say, ‘Scott, just keep going — keep doing
what you’re doing,’â~@~B" Carcieri said, looking out at the audience
that included Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, General Treasurer Frank
Caprio and Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis. Jurists and members
of the General Assembly were also in attendance. And, in a sign that
Warwick will continue to enjoy good relations and joint ventures with
its municipal neighbors, newly elected Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung
and longtime East Greenwich Town Manager William Sequino Jr. could
be found in the front rows.

In his inaugural speech, Avedisian, who turns 44 this month, reminded
residents that the city has much to celebrate.

Noting that yesterday was the day Armenians celebrate Christmas,
he wished the audience and his family "Medz Avedis," a traditional
holiday greeting that means "I bring you good news." He then proceeded
to cite many of the good things that are happening in Warwick:

â~@¢The groundbreaking for an intermodal train station that will link
T.F. Green Airport to rail and bus transportation, and represents a
more than $120-million investment in the local economy.

â~@¢The arrival of new businesses including the NYLO Hotel in the
historic Pontiac Mills and the opening of the state’s first Trader
Joe’s on Route 2.

â~@¢And, the recent acquisition of 41 shoreline acres, which will be
preserved as public open space at the site of the former Rocky Point
amusement park.

Avedisian did not shy away from hard facts, such as the faltering
economy, recurring school deficits and the need to find relief for
taxpayers. With Carcieri expected to announce cuts in state aid to
cities and towns this week, Avedisian criticized the approach.

"The current system of cutting funding to every community — even those
that budget correctly and post surpluses — is archaic and unfair,"
Avedisian said.

There were personal touches throughout the night. Avedisian was
sworn in by his cousin, Judge Haiganush R. Bedrosian, a Family Court
judge. And he took the oath with his hand on a leather-bound 1830s
family Bible that was so hefty that 10-year-old Matthew Boulet, a
friend of the family who recently lost his father, had to use both
hands to hoist it.

Avedisian concluded by challenging Warwick residents to use these
tough times as a reason to aspire, not despair.

"I am calling on all the people of this city to continue to join
together for the common good," he said. "[We need] to make sure that
the painful cuts that are being foisted upon us do not distract us
from our mission — to care for one another and to ensure that the
frailest and most vulnerable in our community are not forced to bear
the largest burden of an economy in crisis."

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