Among the dignitaries at Saturday’s inaugural ceremony for Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, Lieutenant Governor and former Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy, who agrees with Warren's comments about wanting to do more to make downtown an attractive place to be.
"I, like Lovely Warren, also grew up in a different downtown Rochester and saw opportunities here, I think we all did, and everybody's working toward better days and kudos to Mayor Richard and his team for what they've done the last three years, Mayor Warren takes the baton, she took it January first, and will do a terrific jobs as Mayor."
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, a Republican who endorsed Warren in the general election, liked what she heard at the inauguration.
"I thought it was very energizing, I thought it set the right tone for what she hopes to accomplish. As I said before I support wholeheartedly her priorities of rebuilding neighborhoods, rebuilding downtown, and to the extent the county can be a partner in that, I'm looking forward to working with her. " Brooks said.
Former Rochester Mayor Tom Richards, who lost to Warren in the Democratic Primary, and did not actively campaign in the general election, said he was glad he came to attend the inaugural ceremony.
"I think it was important that I do be here. I could have not come, obviously I don't have to be here anymore, that part of my life is over, but the city and Lovely's success is important, and to the extent I can contribute to that and show up and show support for it, that's what I'm doing here, and that's why I came, " Richards told us.
Rochester School Superintendent Bolgen Vargas was impressed by what he says was a very positive message from Warren. He says it's important for the city's mayor to get involved even though there isn't mayoral control of the city school district in Rochester.
According to Vargas, "Everybody needs to be involved in education, particularly the mayor; the mayor plays an important role in the lives of our students and also the well-being of this community. "
