by Bill Kirk, Eagle Tribune
It was a grassroots lesson in democracy and civics.
Recently elected members of the Lawrence City Council and School Committee took to the stage in front of 200 people in the South Lawrence East School auditorium Thursday night to be officially sworn in by City Clerk Bill Maloney.
They were joined by two of the newly elected board members for Greater Lawrence Technical School.
After being sworn in — holding up their right hands and repeating after the clerk, promising to uphold the Constitution along with local and state laws — the councilors met to choose their leaders for the next two years.
Newcomer Celina Reyes, accompanied by dozens of exuberant supporters in the auditorium, said she wants to focus on “beautifying the community” and increasing communication between elected officials and the city at large.
An at-large councilor herself, she said she meets with people from all over the city and feels that many of them don’t have enough information about public safety issues or things going on in their own neighborhoods.
“There are different priorities in the north side and the south side,” she said, adding that she wants to “promote education and giving information to families about the tools they have” to enhance their quality of life.