SACO  — Mayor Marston Lovell said he and other elected officials will work hard over the next two years with city staff to bring a “brighter tomorrow.”

Lovell made this announcement at his inauguration ceremony Monday night at Thornton Academy’s Garland Auditorium.

Outgoing Mayor Roland “Ron” Michaud said it had been “a real honor” to serve as mayor of Saco and work with the city and school employees, elected officials, board and committee members and residents.

Michaud congratulated the newly elected mayor, city councilors and school board members.

“They have chosen to step up to the challenge of working as a team to help ensure that Saco continues to be a great community to live in and to work in, and one that we all can be proud of,” said Michaud. “Thank you and good luck. I know we are in good hands.”

Lovell thanked outgoing Mayor Michaud for his many years of service to the city, which includes not only time spent as mayor, but as a city councilor, planning board member, school board member, a member of the Wardwell Home Board of Directors, and a Boy Scout troop chairman.

Michaud thanked his wife, Hilda, for her support over the years.

“She’s always been beside me, and that’s made all the difference,” he said.

Lovell opened his speech with his vision of Saco in the future, which was a vision of a city that had grown to be a community of 25,000 people with an assessed value of $3 million. “We can accomplish this by increasing Saco’s commercial and industrial base which will create a stable tax rate and a level and upward growth,” he said.

Lovell spoke of some of his other goals, such as creating a safe and viable infrastructure for the citizens of Saco, which included street improvements and a solution to offset erosion in Camp Ellis believed to be caused by the Saco River Jetty. Lovell said he also wanted to see better communication between city staff and residents and for the city to explore new ways to improve cost effective spending.

“This is a heady agenda for a city of nearly 20,000 citizens and a staff that was formed to support 16,000,” said Lovell. 

Lovell thanked those newly elected officials who chose to embark on a journey to continue to develop Saco as “a city with great promise” and also thanked the elected officials who served in years past who laid the groundwork for those currently in office to face the city’s challenges.

“Our goal is to achieve a tomorrow that is better than today,” said Lovell.

Also sworn in Monday night were City Councilors Marshall Archer, Roger Gay, William Doyle, Lynn Copeland, Alan Minthorn, Micah Smart and Nathan Johnston, as well as School Board members Lynn Leary, Stephen Shipman and Stanley Mozden.

 — Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.