Town of Highlands elected officials were sworn in on Jan. 1
Perhaps no better words were said at Monday’s noon swearing in ceremony of Highlands town officials. They were the invocation, from Church of the Holy Innocents Interim Pastor, Rev. Jan Nunley.
She read: “I come before you today as a representative of but one of the many traditions of this community. It is beyond anyone’s power authentically to represent them all. But it is possible for us all faithfully to hold in our hearts the following aspirations, as we begin a new year in the story of the Town of Highlands. With faith and hope for the life of this community, let us join our hearts together.”
And then, looking at the new officials, she continued:
“Let us aspire to be honest, with ourselves and others.
Let us aspire to be mindful of history, and careful for the sake of the generations to come.
Let us aspire to be just, always tempering our judgements with mercy and forgiveness.
Let us aspire to be peaceful, but not passive in the face of wrongdoing.
Let us aspire to be wise; not merely knowledgeable, but skilled in the ways of compromise, yet with integrity.
Let us aspire to be gracious, holding our own selves lightly as we bear one another’s burdens for the sake of our common humanity.
Let us aspire to be patient with your youth and with age, and gentle with ways and abilities that differ from our own.
Let us aspire to be compassionate, joining charity with clarity and seeking the good of every living being.
Let us aspire to be accountable to others and to our best selves in all our actions, public and private.
Let us aspire to always see reflected in one another the image of humanity we wish others to recognize in ourselves.
And let us all say Amen.”
Those in the room did say Amen, and then Town Justices Alexandra Bourne and Barbara Mennite stepped forward to tackle the business of the day — administering the oath of office to Supervisor Bob Livsey, Council members Tyrone King and Nancy Sporbert, Town Clerk June Patterson and Receiver of Taxes Gina Taylor.
They did so individually, as about 30 friends and family members, and fellow Council members Joe DeWitt and Rich Sullivan looked on.
After swearing in the officials, Mennite thanked all those who continue to serve the community. “Some things in life are so noble, and this is one of them; contributing your talents to the rest of us.”
Each official then signed their oath of office and said a few words.
Livsey, now the official longest-ever supervisor to serve the town — serving 18 years and one day at that moment — reflected on the loss of his wife Mary since his 2022 installation. He told the story of forgetting to make mention of her in the audience at first that day, and said that it was because of her (“she is the reason I have kept going as long as I have”), and now his son Merv, that he continues to work to serve the town.
“As well, everybody that works for the Town of Highlands … if I didn’t have you, I’d be the hell out of here,” he said. “I really appreciate the work that you do; that’s what’s kept me glued to the position.”
He thanked all for attending the annual ceremony.
Sporbert, elected for the first time to a town position, thanked all those who supported her, calling out friends and family in the room.
“I will do my best to justify your faith in me,” she said, adding she has already had a warm welcome at Town Hall as she prepared to take on her new job. In closing she said: “I will do my best for the town. And I promise not to break anything,” drawing laughter.
King said he is also appreciative of those local voters who re-elected him and said he takes the oath he had just sworn to as seriously as the one he took when he was a career Army soldier. “This board changes, but I think we all come in with the same intentions, to do the best for the community,” he said.
Taylor, who retired as the village clerk in 2023, said she is looking forward to “a good year”.
“I will take your taxes, listen to your complaints, but then remind you that I don’t set the tax rate, that’s the Town Board!” she said.
Patterson, starting her 19th year as town clerk, thanked voters for their support, particularly her son Andrew in the audience, who “is at his ninth swearing-in ceremony”.
The board meets next on Monday, Jan. 8 for a regular business meeting and its annual reorganization meeting.
