Early in Monday night’s City Council meeting, President Patrick Keefe welcomed its two new members, Councillor-at-Large Gerry Visconti and Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino, to the 11-member board.
The two city officials received applause from their colleagues before delivering their respective remarks. Visconti, who was elected to the Council in November after serving one term on the School Committee, spoke first.
“As one of the newest members of the Council, I would like to say thank you to my family, my friends, and most important the citizens of Revere that elected me to this very seat,†began Visconti. “I would also like to say thank you also to my fellow colleagues on the Council for the warm welcome I have received since being elected. I am truly humbled, honored and excited to be sitting here and look forward to working with all of you to continue moving this great city forward.â€
Serino, who finished first in the preliminary and final elections for the Ward 6 seat previously held by Charlie Patch, offered the following remarks:
The first time I walked into this chamber, I was nine years old. I never imagined on that day that nearly twenty years later, I would be in one of these seats as a member. Â It is the greatest honor of my life up to this point to be sitting here.Â
• I want to express my profound gratitude tothe people of West Revere and North Revere for the confidence they have placed in me, and I want them to know that when I speak on an issue or take votes in this Chamber, the best interest for all of us in Ward 6 will always be on the forefront of my mind.
• I also want to express my appreciation and thanks to the important people in my life who have supported me over the years.
• From my parents, grandparents and my entire family who made me the man I am today;
• To my mentors Representative RoseLee Vincent, former Representative Kathi Reinstein and Speaker Bob DeLeo who have shaped me into the elected official I hope to be and;
• To my supporters who believed in me from day one of my candidacy, especially the late Bobby Picardi.
• Finally, fellow councillors – I want to express how excited I am to work with all of you, Mayor Arrigo and the employees of the various departments in the city on issues like solving flooding problems in Ward 6, addressing traffic concerns, and bringing responsible economic development that strengthens our commercial tax base to our community. I’m eager to get started and I look forward to a productive two yearsmaking Revere the best city it can be.
