Verona’s new Town Council has officially taken office. On Thursday, July 1, the Council met for its biennial organization meeting, at which new and returning members to the Town Council were sworn in and a new mayor and deputy mayor elected from the Council members.
Council members Jack McEvoy, Christopher Tamburro, and Cynthia Holland, the winners of the May election, were sworn in at the meeting, presided over by Municipal Clerk Jennifer Kiernan. McEvoy is returning to the Town Council after serving a previous four-year term, which included a two-year term as Verona’s mayor; Holland and Tamburro both enter as new members. McEvoy, Holland, and Tamburro all gave remarks following their swearing-ins, expressing their thanks to family, friends, and Verona residents for allowing them to serve as Council members, and all noted a shared desire to continue the tradition of “Verona’s volunteer ethos and community spirit,” as put by Tamburro.
Following the swearing-in of the municipal election winners, the Council voted among itself to nominate a new mayor and deputy mayor. Alex Roman will serve as Verona’s next mayor for a two-year term, and Christine McGrath will serve as deputy mayor within the same time period. Both of their terms expire on June 23, 2023, by which time the Town Council will nominate and elect the next mayor and deputy mayor.
Roman and McGrath both offered remarks following their nomination and election, and articulated specifics toward future goals for the Town Council. “We have a group of people here with backgrounds in construction, business, law, public safety, education, and more,” said Roman. “As mayor, I hope to bring these talents together to address our shared challenges of the future, such as our water and infrastructure, our business community, and our next round of affordable housing in 2025.” Roman first ran unsuccessfully for Town Council in 2013, was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
McGrath’s comments focused on the importance of improving Verona’s mental health support for residents. “In the past, we knew that Verona residents were struggling with their physical health, with their finances, with divorce, with their mental health, and the pandemic only exacerbated these challenges. We do not have a licensed clinical social worker on our municipal staff. As we work to upgrade our physical infrastructure, it’s important for us to consider our health infrastructure as well.” McGrath was elected to the Town Council in 2019.
The remainder of the meeting was presided over by Mayor Roman, during which the Town Council passed a resolution concerning its meeting schedule and voted to reappoint members of the Board of Adjustment, Planning Board, Green Team, and Open Space Advisory Committee. Council members also voted to approve their own spots on Verona’s municipal committees. The next Town Council meeting will be Monday, July 19.
You can watch the swearing in of all the new Council members in the video below:
