Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

Newly elected council members Keith = Sweet,=20 Marilyn Lewis and Wayne Garibaldi are sworn in at Monday's Jackson = City=20 Council meeting.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson

Outgoing Councilman Al Nunes is honored = for his=20 12 years of service by Jackson Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves, who = was=20 appointed mayor Monday night. Outgoing Mayor Rosalie Pryor = Escamilla looks=20 on.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
On the same evening that a = number of=20 familiar faces in Jackson were recognized for their dedication, three = new=20 council members and a newly selected mayor were handed the reigns of a = city=20 facing mounting economic problems.

Monday's Jackson City Council = meeting=20 got off to a high-spirited beginning as three city employees received = plaques=20 and standing ovations for their years of service. Terry Watson, who's = worked for=20 Jackson for 32 years; Mark Love, a city employee for 31 years; and Terry = Coulter, a Jackson employee for 25 years, were all honored with = resolutions of=20 appreciation as they entered retirement. City Manager Mike Daly spoke at = length=20 about his experiences working with all three men, commending their = efforts,=20 dependability and steadfast commitment to the residents of = Jackson.

Next,=20 election victors Marilyn Lewis, Keith Sweet and Wayne Garibaldi - who = was=20 already serving by appointment - were officially sworn in as city = council=20 members.

As outgoing Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla and Councilman = Al=20 Nunes quietly left their seats for the last time, the new council took = shape by=20 preparing to appoint a mayor. Lewis immediately nominated Garibaldi for = the=20 position.

"I'm really flattered, but I don't feel competent at = this=20 point," Garibaldi demurred. "I'm going to decline because I'm still = learning,=20 and I don't feel I'm there yet."

Sweet then motioned to appoint = current=20 Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves to the position. Councilman Pat Crew = seconded the=20 motion, leading to a unanimous vote that announced Jackson's new mayor.=20 Garibaldi was then appointed vice mayor.

"It was an honor to be=20 nominated," Gonsalves later told the Ledger Dispatch. "I look forward to = working=20 for the residents of the city and the Jackson Revitalization Committee = to try to=20 get us heading in a direction of economic stimulus - to try to get = Jackson back=20 on the right foot. That was my goal when I first ran and it's still my=20 goal."

She added that she thought Garibaldi was an excellent = choice for=20 vice mayor, saying "I think we'll make a great team."

Gonsalves' = first=20 act as mayor was honoring her predecessor, Pryor Escamilla, for eight = years of=20 service to the city. She also presented a resolution to honor Nunes, who = spent=20 12 years as a council member.

"I guess I should say something," a = reminiscent Nunes told the packed civic center of clapping residents. = "It's been=20 an honor to (serve) and I've absolutely enjoyed every minute of=20 it."

Residents also got a different view of Jackson's future when = Daly=20 unveiled the city's revamped Web site. Among its many features, the site = makes=20 it possible for members of the public to e-mail council members and city = officials directly, have free access to updated council agendas and view = numerous maps, reports and press releases related to city = business.

Daly=20 emphasized that the point of the site was to make the city's operations = more=20 transparent to the public. "This will make it clear what's going on in = Jackson=20 and answer all kinds of questions people will have," he said. "It will = also make=20 it easy to get in touch with officials and help save citizens some of = the cost=20 involved with printing the city's agendas."

Commenting on the new = site,=20 Garibaldi said, "I think this is an amazing improvement to what we had = and will=20 help take us into the future."

Scott Thomas = Anderson