City’s Inaugural celebration to be held January 4 Print
The city will celebrate the inauguration of Mayor Scott Avedisian, the City Council and the School Committee on Tuesday, January 4 at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers of City Hall. As has been the case recently, the Inaugural ceremonies will again be more austere than in years past, due to budgetary concerns.

The Inaugural program features a prelude by the Pawtuxet Rangers, R.I.M. and the Pawtuxet Rangers Fife and Drum Corps and a procession of honor guards from the Rangers and the Warwick Fire and Police Departments. Diana Picozzi, a member of the Warwick Veterans Memorial High School Class of 2011, will lead the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, will give the invocation, the Very Reverend Gomidas Baghsarian, archpriest and pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church and Rabbi Leslie Yale Gutterman of Temple Beth-El will offer prayers for public service, and Rev. Robert Marciano, chaplain of the Warwick Police Department, will give the benediction.

Sophie Colantuono, daughter of Ward One Councilman Steven Colantuono, will hold the Avedisian family Bible as the mayor is sworn in by Family Court Chief Judge Haiganush Bedrosian. Avedisian will, in turn, swear in the City Council and School Committee members and will also give remarks.

Council members taking the oath of office are: Steven Colantuono; Bruce Place; Camille Vella-Wilkinson; Joseph Solomon; John DelGuidice; Donna Travis; Charles “CJ” Donovan, Jr.; Raymond Gallucci; and Steven Merolla.

Three School Committee members will be sworn in: Gene Nadeau, Mary Medeiros, and Bethany Furtado.

Cora McAuliffe will sing “Let All Things Now Living,” The Episcopal Conference Center Hymn, and retired Warwick Police Officer William McGuire, a bagpiper, will play “America the Beautiful.”

The public is invited to attend. While there is no charge for the event, attendees are asked to bring a canned good to benefit the Westbay Marketplace food pantry.