In her inaugural address Monday afternoon, South Portland Mayor Linda Cohen said she could make all kinds of promises about what she planned to accomplish during her year in office, but said her main goal would be to foster collaboration.

However, she also said that did not mean she expected the City Council to always be in agreement.

“I do not expect, nor would I want the council to be always unanimous. Debate and differences of opinion are healthy” and help to ensure the decisions being made are “honest and transparent,” Cohen said.

In further elaborating her ideas of collaboration, Cohen also said she was not only talking about the working relationship between councilors, but also between the council and the city staff and other boards and committees, as well as the relationship between South Portland and its neighbors.

“South Portland is not an island,” she said. “A rising tide lifts all boats, and growth in Scarborough and Westbrook (for instance) is also good for South Portland.”

Cohen described the whole region, including Cape Elizabeth and Portland, as “vibrant and healthy,” but also said the continued livability and economic viability of the area is important to South Portland’s future.

That’s why she invited a number of representatives from the surrounding communities, as well as local legislators and business leaders to attend the inauguration ceremony, which was held at City Hall.

In taking up the gavel, Cohen said, “I am so honored to be in this seat. I thank my fellow councilors for their support and will do my best not to disappoint (them).”

She also promised to be a “team player and keep the big picture in mind.” In thinking about what she wanted to say on the record, Cohen said she had one simple message:

“We can’t make South Portland the best it can be without collaboration. We are all different in many ways, but we all share common goals.”

Cohen believes that no matter how much councilors may differ, they all share the goal of keeping the “physical and financial well-being of 25,000-plus people (in mind).”

She also encouraged citizens and business owners to take part in the debate.

“We may not always do what you would like, but we will always listen and we need everyone at the table,” Cohen said.

Following her unanimous selection as the city’s new mayor, Cohen received a standing ovation from the audience and a hug from outgoing Mayor Gerard Jalbert.

She also asked her daughter, April Cohen, to take a special role in the ceremony – putting her new nameplate with her new title on the council table.

Linda Cohen said when her daughter was growing up she would come by City Hall after school. At the time Cohen was the city clerk in South Portland and one of her jobs on Mondays was preparing the council chambers for the evening meeting.

Cohen remembered that her daughter would often help put out the nameplates for each councilor and she wanted to honor that special memory during the inauguration. Her only regret, Cohen said, was that her own mother was not there to enjoy her accomplishment.

Cohen said when was the city clerk in South Portland her mother would watch every meeting, often taking photos of the television whenever Cohen would appear during council meetings.

Before stepping down, Jalbert said he wanted to thank everyone who has sent him cards and emails or stopped him in person to acknowledge his service to the city.

Like Cohen, Jalbert also encouraged people to take an active role in city governance and told them “not to be daunted” if asked to serve on a volunteer board or committee or when considering a run for public office.

“We can fix so many things as long as we use practical solutions,” Jalbert said. In his final words, he said, “It has been an honor to be the mayor of the great little city of South Portland, Maine.”

Rabbi Jared Saks from the Congregation Bet Ha’am opened the inauguration ceremony with a special invocation during which he called on those present to “recognize the opportunity that lies before us to see each other person-to-person.”

He also said the leaders of the city should seek to “shut out pettiness, pride and enmity” and ended the invocation by praying for the city to be “a doorway to a richer, more meaningful life,” for all residents.

Also on Monday, Richard Matthews was chosen as the new chairman of the South Portland Board of Education. During the board’s next meeting, scheduled for Dec. 8, it will talk with staff at the Maine School Management Association about the search for a new superintendent.

On Monday, Linda Cohen, right, celebrated her inauguration as South Portland’s new mayor. At left is her daughter, April Cohen.