Lauretti: ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti took the oath of office for the 12th time Tuesday and immediately wondered aloud how voters aren’t bored with him already.

Anybody getting tired of listening to me?” Lauretti, the city’s mayor since 1991, joked after being sworn in by Bridgeport Superior Court Judge and Shelton resident Barbara Bellis as about 100 people looked on in the Senior Center.

He then thanked voters for vesting their confidence in him and the officials gathered Tuesday who also took oaths, and the officials themselves, saying their work makes Shelton exceptional.

I’m starting to wonder whether Shelton has become an oasis in Connecticut,” Lauretti said. And I say that very sincerely and largely due to the work that our respective boards and commissions have done over the years in creating real value in a place where people want to be.”

Click the play button to see Lauretti’s full remarks.

Lauretti defeated Democratic challenger David Gioiello handily Nov. 5, and Republicans retained their 7 – 1 lock on the Board of Aldermen. The GOP also has majorities on the school board and Planning and Zoning Commission.

Click here for more on the election.

The mayor said Tuesday that level-headed decisions made over the years by city leaders have balanced recreational opportunities, education, safety, infrastructure, and affordability.

And — a familiar refrain in Lauretti speeches — those decisions have paid off during tough times.

Through this whole entire economic downturn that our nation has gone through in the last six years, we have held our own,” he said. We continue to grow, and largely due to the decisions that our elected officials make.”

Keep on keepin’ on, as they say. Stay the course,” the mayor said, promising to make good, solid decisions” on behalf of residents that would keep cost-effectiveness in mind.

Balance is important in a community, and sometimes you don’t always get what you want, but sometimes you just have to find other ways to get to your endpoint, and we’ve done that in Shelton. we’ve done that for a very long time,” Lauretti said.

After the mayor’s remarks, St. Margaret Mary Church’s Rev. John Strynkowski offered a benediction.

Center Stage Theater’s Francesca Scarpa also led attendees in a rendition of God Bless America.”

Then, the new” Board of Aldermen — its composition is exactly the same as it was before the election — held a 10-minute organizational meeting at which the Third Ward’s John Anglace and the Fourth Ward’s John Papa were re-elected unanimously as president and vice president, respectively.

A color guard from Sutter-Terlizzi Post 16 of The American Legion led officials in and out and Tuesday’s ceremony.

Thomas Welch, the city’s corporation counsel, served as master of ceremonies.

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