Parma Rings In 2012 With New Leadership

Eight years is a long time in the life of a city, and since that many years have passed since Parma has seen a new mayor, the Inaugural ceremony held at Parma City Hall on January 2 had a special significance. Brand new year, brand new mayor, seventh largest city in Ohio- I don't know about you, but I have a sense that some exciting things may be happening in Parma in the near future. Parma City Council also welcomes two new members this year, so it will be interesting to see how the new council works with the new administration as 2012 moves forward.

A cold, snowy day did not deter people from flocking to council chambers to witness the swearing in of our new mayor and other elected officials. What started as a trickle turned into a packed house by the 2:00 p.m. starting time. Many other officials were present in the audience, including now former Mayor Dean DePiero, County Executive Ed Fitzgerald, County Prosecutor Bill Mason, County Council Representative Chuck Germana, both U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich and U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, plus many other notable leaders from our surrounding community. Many proud parents, wives, husbands, children and friends were also present in order to witness as well as take part in this historical occasion in the life of their loved one and of our city. The feeling in council chambers was one of exciting anticipation as everyone was seated and the inevitable process began to unfold.

The Inaugural ceremony began with the elected council member from each of the nine wards stepping up in front of the assembly and having their oath administered by their spouses, children, and other family members. Each newly sworn in council representative then made a speech at the podium. Especially moving were the remarks from newly elected Ward 3 Councilman Mark Casselberry, who was obviously affected by the sheer gravity of this new chapter in his life, when he spoke of the unexpected arrival of his son on New Year's Eve, fresh from having served our country in Afghanistan. After the council members were sworn in, it was time for Treasurer Thomas Mastroianni, Law Director Timothy Dobeck, and Auditor Dennis Kish to each have their turn.

Every ceremony such as this has its big moment, and this was when Tim DeGeeter stood to take the oath as Mayor of Parma, Ohio, the seventh largest city in the state. His proud parents were in the front row, having come all the way from Indiana, where Tim was born and raised. His oath was administered by his wife Pamela, along with his son Jack and very young daughter Molly. For me, seeing a young Mayor with his young family taking office at this point in time here in our city filled me with a sense of hope and satisfaction, since this is someone with his own future still well in front of him, and the stakes are high, because the future of his cherished family depends on his leadership of our city as well. His speech reflected nothing less than that, as he thanked everyone who had helped him achieve what he has so far, and promised to do his very best to continue taking the city of Parma forward, making sure to remind us that Parma deserves and will have an ever increasing leadership role in the future of the Greater Cleveland area and the State of Ohio.

After the ceremony was concluded, everyone remained for some time to enjoy refreshments, including fantastic bakery items graciously supplied by several local Parma bakeries. Master of Ceremonies, Council Clerk Ken Ramser pointed out that the efforts of many people had contributed to the success of this swearing-in ceremony, including but not limited to, American Legion Post 703, Parma City School District High School A Cappella Ensemble, Father John T. Carlin from Saint Charles Borromeo Church, and countless others who lend their talent and hard work to an event such as this. Obviously, when a city such as ours has people like this that we can depend on, the future of Parma, Ohio is looking better and better. I've spent my first fifty years here, and this is where I intend to spend the next fifty!