After a long—and sometimes contentious—election season, town officials and residents came together at the Guilford Community Center on Dec. 4 to witness what State Representative Sean Scanlon (D-98) referred to as the hallmark of a democracy—the peaceful transfer of power.

Dignitaries from both political parties and various levels of local and state government came together to honor the outgoing the outgoing Board of Selectmen (BOS) and now former first selectman Joe Mazza (R) and officially welcome in the new board and First Selectman Matt Hoey (D).

Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman officiated the oath of office for incoming BOS members Louis Federici, Sandra Ruoff, Susan Renner, and Charles Havrda as well at Hoey. Wyman, who is serving out her last term as lieutenant governor, thanked all of those who serve in local government.

“Local government is the toughest,” she said. “I always thought that being on the Board of Education was the toughest job I ever had and that is why I kept moving away from it. It is an honor to be here today and when Matt called to ask if I would do the swearing in, I said, ‘Great!’ and it really is a special day. When we take office, we know that it is exciting, but we also know going forward to do the work that we have to do.”

After being sworn in, Hoey thanked his family, friends, and colleagues who helped him get to this point and said he is looking forward to the years ahead.

“I am honored and humbled that you have given me this opportunity to continue to serve you,” he said to the audience. “It’s my dearest hope that I live up to the expectations that you have entrusted in me as well as the other members of the BOS. We will endeavor to do the very best that we can.”

Moving forward, Hoey said he and the new board will strive to protect what is already good about Guilford and continue to move the town forward.

“I am looking forward to working with a very talented team,” he said of the new BOS. “…Guilford is a wonderful community and it is a place I am so proud to call home. We are financially sound, we have exceptional services, we reward talent, and moving forward I pledge to preserve what we have, what has been done, and what people expect of their services.”

While there were many thanks to hand out, Hoey made sure to thank now-former first selectman Joe Mazza.

“You have done a tremendous job for this community, but more importantly you have been a confidant, a mentor, and my friend,” he said. “Thank you for that.”