Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 | Posted by Mary Serreze

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse Pledges New Day in Holyoke

The 22-year-old mayor moved quickly to replace The Paper City’s top lawyer and personnel director, and has set his sites on rebranding Holyoke as The Digital City.

By MARY SERREZE

HOLYOKE — Alex Morse — 22, openly gay, and new to elected office — was sworn in as the 37th mayor of this post-industrial city on Tuesday to the wild cheers and applause of a diverse crowd that numbered nearly 400.

Audio: Alex Morse’s Inaugural Remarks

Morse greeted supporters and spoke with the press before his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. (Mary Serreze photo)

Preaching a message of unity, hard work and transformation, Morse — a Holyoke native and Brown University graduate — said he has no interest in looking backward.

“Today marks a turning of the page on the old ways of doing politics in this city,” he said. “The time for petty obstructions to progress is over.”

In November’s election, Morse, who speaks fluent Spanish, defeated incumbent Elaine Pluta, a veteran of the Holyoke political scene, by a 53-47 margin, after winning a primary election by only one vote.

Video: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse delivered a rousing speech before a crowd of nearly 400 at his inaugural ceremony Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, in introducing Morse, said the Commonwealth is committed to working with the city in effecting its transformation. (Courtesy Holyoke Public Access TV)

The colorful ceremony featured bagpipes, military and fire department honor guards, two school choirs, an invocation by nine members of the clergy, and an all-star turnout of state and local officials.

Luminaries included U.S. Congressman John Olver, State Auditor Suzanne Bump, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, who served as the master of ceremonies, and Superior Court Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty, a Holyoker who administered the oath of office.

Creating a New City Image and Cleaning House

In order to “rebrand Holyoke’s image,” Morse said residents must band together to support three goals: education, economic development, and public safety.

Morse will have his work cut out for him. The crime-ridden city with a population of almost 40,000 suffers from a poverty rate of 28 percent. In recent years, though, Holyoke has seen an influx of artists, entrepreneurs and new homeowners committed to the revitalization of the so-called Paper City.

Morse says he wants to ride that wave.

“Just as our predecessors saw in Holyoke everything they needed for the creation of the Paper City, I now see everything we need to become the Digital City, and for an economy based on art, innovation, and technology.”

The Holyoke Caledonian Pipe and Drum Band joined army and fire department honor guards in escorting Morse and other public officials to the stage. (Mary Serreze photo)

And as reported by Mike Plaisance for The Republican newspaper, Morse has already taken steps to clean house in City Hall, replacing his city solicitor and firing Pluta’s personnel director.

In other change, the City Council elected its first new president in 26 years, and the School Committee chose its youngest member as its chair.

With brand new police and fire chiefs in place as well, Holyoke is seeing a changing of the guard on many fronts. (See Plaisance’s article here.)

Promoting Public Safety, Opposing a Casino

Morse, who attended the Morgan Street Elementary School and Holyoke High School here, said he wouldn’t be where he is without the benefit of a good public education. He called for a renewed commitment to the schools, saying “we must be responsible for all of Holyoke’s children, regardless of what they look like or what neighborhood they’re from.”

As for economic development, Morse has opposed the efforts of Hard Rock International and Paper City Development Corp. to site a casino at the Wyckoff Country Club off of Rt. 5, saying the city can “do better than that.”

Public safety will be key if Holyoke wants to attract business and lure visitors, said Morse. While keeping city streets safe over the long term will require a “holistic approach,” getting there will require neighborhood watch programs, increased bicycle and foot patrols, and better communication between residents and the police.

“We must begin to restore the relationship between our distinguished police officers and our communities,” said Morse.

Finally, the new mayor appealed to the city’s heritage and pride in asking its residents to walk hand-in-hand, even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye.

“Lest we forget, we are Holyoke. As long as we remember that, there is no way we can fail.”

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@northamptonmedia.com