Salem's Kim Driscoll Sworn In As MA Lieutenant Governor

SALEM, MA — Kim Driscoll echoed many of her priorities as a five-term mayor of Salem as she introduced herself to the state as part of the first all-women state executive leadership team in the nation on Thursday.

Driscoll, who gave a farewell address to the Salem City Council after 17 years as mayor on Wednesday night, was sworn in as lieutenant governor along with Gov. Maura Healey at the State House early Thursday afternoon.

Healey called Driscoll "the best teammate I could ever ask for" and lauded that she "led Salem with an eye toward the future" — as Driscoll called it a "great honor to make history with you, my friend."

"We're a state with a rich history of firsts," Driscoll said in her inaugural speech, "from sparking a revolution at home to sharing life-saving vaccines with the rest of the world. That's here.

"Now, more than ever in our state's history, we must lean into our roots and embrace the opportunities to grow, change and innovate — to bring people together in the advancement of our shared vision."

(Also on Patch: Kim Driscoll: 'Together We Have Changed Salem For The Better')

Driscoll said she will use her experience in the "get-stuff-done branch of government" to support Healey in pursuing improvements in affordable housing, transportation, clean energy, education and child care access - objectives she often stated as Salem's mayor.

"It can't be overstated that Massachusetts is at an inflection point as we turn the corner in the (COVID-19) pandemic," she said. "Our ability to support thriving communities, and as a result a thriving Commonwealth, will require a new commitment to embracing necessary change and transition into a new America."

The Hawaii-born Driscoll credited Salem residents for taking a chance on her as the city's first woman mayor and long-shot candidate 17 years ago — "let alone someone who didn't grow up there" — and said the life she's lived in the city and the state led to the moment where she and Gov. Healey "stand before you today with an immense amount of hope and gratitude."

"The next four years are critical," she said. "A robust Massachusetts economy is not just an automatic. And despite strong fiscal balances we know we are still leaving too many people behind.

"The upshot is that we have the tools right here to make a meaningful impact on our most pressing challenges. And we are ready to get stuff done."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)