Wilmington Mayor Takes Oath Of Office For A Second Term

Press release from the City of Wilmington:

January 5, 2021

He was sworn-in today by his long-time friend, Family Court Judge Arlene Coppadge; says he looks forward to working with the new 108th session of Council

Mike Purzycki took the Oath of Office shortly after 11 a.m. today to officially begin his second, four-year term as Wilmington’s Mayor. With his wife Bette next to him at their home, the Mayor was sworn into office during a virtual ceremony by his long-time friend, Family Court Judge Arlene Coppadge.

Mayor Purzycki, who came home from the hospital yesterday after heart surgery last Wednesday, spoke briefly after the Oath was administered and said he is looking forward to working with Council President-elect Trippi Congo, the members of the 108th session of Council, and newly elected Treasurer DaWayne Sims. The Council and Treasurer will be sworn into office tonight at 8 p.m. during a City Charter-mandated organizational meeting of the Council.

A video of the Mayor’s swearing-in ceremony and his remarks is available here.

Mayor Purzycki today expressed his appreciation and love to his wife, Bette, and their family for their support and thanked voters for electing him to a second term. “I am humbled and honored to serve you again and will do all I can to continue to strengthen our City and its people,” said the Mayor. “My Administration,” the Mayor continued, “remains dedicated to making sure that when our time in office comes to a close, Wilmington and the people of this City are in a better position of opportunity, prosperity, and equality than they were when we arrived in 2017. The priority of all of us in elected office should be to improve the overall quality of life for everyone.”

The Mayor said he is looking forward to a new chapter in the Administration’s working relationship with City Council. “I am confident that this new session of Council will bring about an elevated level of dialogue, understanding, cooperation, and achievement for both the Administration and Council,” said Mayor Purzycki.

Mayor Purzycki said while 2020 was a challenging year for the country and for our City because of the pandemic, the new year will also be very challenging before we pull out of what he described as a “once-in-a-lifetime crisis.” The Mayor said the City government and its front-line workers have responded well to the difficulties posed by the pandemic and he thanked employees for their efforts. The Mayor said, however, that no pandemic or any other obstacle should get in the way of Wilmington moving forward on its mission to become a more Just City—where respect, equality, and social and racial justice guide our hearts and actions every hour and every day.

As the new term begins, he said Wilmington’s financial position remains strong as does our bond rating, but said the financial concerns related to COVID-19 are still evolving. He said he would work closely with Council to mitigate those concerns. “Our City’s future looks bright regardless of the many challenges ahead,” said the Mayor. “We are going to have to be even more creative about finding and agreeing to solutions to our problems as well as being a more united voice to promote all the wonderful attributes of our City.”

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.