New President Of The Board Of Aldermen Named

MELROSE, MA — All President of the Board terms are not created equally. But Mike Zwirko is still up for the gig.

The latest ripple effect of Robert Dolan leaving for Lynnfield was settled Monday evening with the Board's voting of Zwirko as president. It's the second time in the last nine weeks Zwirko received the vote, though the first time it came in a binding manner.

The only other member of the Board who was nominated for the presidency was Alderman Monica Medeiros, who nominated herself.

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For Zwirko, it's been a winding road to what once looked like a straightforward shot. He was unanimously approved by the Board in a non-binding caucus in early December, days before word of Dolan's potential departure became public.

The Dolan news meant the presidency effectively served as a brief stepping stone to becoming the next mayor of Melrose. Several aldermen then made a move for the presidency, with Gail Infurna winning the vote in an early January meeting that came down to five rounds of voting to break what was more or less a tie with Zwirko. Infurna was sworn in as mayor Monday morning.

Also Monday night, Amy Kamosa was elected new City Clerk.

To start the Monday meeting, Alderman Peter Mortimer served as the presiding officer as the longest-serving member of the Board. He then served as temporary president for a number of orders until the vote for president was taken.

Photos by Mike Carraggi, Patch staff