Driscoll Focuses On Coronavirus, Climate At Salem Inauguration

Salem MA

03 January, 2022

5:13 PM

Description

SALEM, MA – Saying Salem is at an "inflection point," the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus crisis, the urgency of climate change and the responsibility to provide affordable housing were among the major themes of Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll's address at the city's first virtual inauguration Monday morning. Driscoll said the recent COVID case spike as she enters her fifth term in office necessitated the remote inauguration "in the interest of our public health" and that helping to preserve capacity at Salem Hospital and increasing vaccination rates citywide are her most immediate virus-related objectives. "I know it's not lost on any of us that as we take our oath of office, we are still in the midst of a pandemic that has taken the lives of 97 Salem residents and impacted every single one of us in some way," Driscoll said. "Right now, we have weary health care workers, just down the street at an almost full Salem Hospital, doing all they can to care for those who are ill." Driscoll supported the Board of Health indoor business-entry vaccination order for bars, restaurants, gyms and other entertainment venues, and said during the re-election campaign that she was in favor of vaccine mandates for all Salem students and both school and city staff. "The work of recovering from this pandemic should be our testament to the memories of the lives lost and the extra efforts being made by so many — from nurses and doctors to teachers, custodians, and small business owners — let's not let the past nearly two years of struggle and hardships be for naught," she said on Monday. "From improving our vaccination levels to protecting our residents from severe illness and death, to rebuilding our economy and our neighborhoods, this work has been and continues to be critical." She called the city's aggressive approach to virus mitigation efforts "a beacon for the commonwealth." A long proponent of increasing affordable housing stock, Driscoll said that will remain a priority in her fifth term. "We have been — and will continue to be — driven by one simple idea: everyone has a right to a roof over their head," she said. "And we'll keep pushing to help everyone realize that. No one should be excluded from safe, affordable, accessible housing. "This is part of what we mean by Salem is for everyone." She said pandemic recovery efforts will include work to ensure more financial and health equity, while work to battle the climate crisis as a vulnerable coastal community must include broadening "our efforts to reduce single-passenger vehicle use." "We must adopt regulations that require sensible and sustainable development, including the forthcoming wetlands protection ordinance and the green infrastructure ordinance," she said. She said the city will be a partner in the Commonwealth Wind project to turn the fossil fuel site in Salem Harbor into a staging area for renewable offshore wind energy. "Bringing this new offshore wind industry to Salem will create hundreds of green jobs, substantial growth to our commercial tax base, but — most importantly of all — a significant and positive step forward in ending our commonwealth's and our country's reliance on fossil fuels," she said. "The climate crisis, pandemic recovery, the changing nature of our economy and work, the cost and availability of housing, the quality of our education system, and the need for more equitable approaches in all our efforts, these are the challenges before us," she concluded. "They are mighty and multi-layered and require action before all of us in public service, at every level and in every corner of our Commonwealth and our nation. "This work has never been more important. But, likewise, the opportunity to accomplish meaningful and sustainable good for our neighbors and our neighborhoods has never been more evident." (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)