This post is a live blog of the inaugural council meeting for the City of Nelson.

Tonight’s event marks the change over from the former council to the new one.

There are two new councillors taking the oath tonight: Candace Batycki and Paula Kiss. They join veterans Bob Adams, Deb Kozak, Donna Macdonald, Robin Cherbo and Mayor John Dooley.

The event should start any minute now.

It gets off on a casual, light note.

John Dooley goes up to the mic. “I have many hats to wear,” he says “and here’s one of them: There’s a blue Toyota in the parking lot with its lights on.” Then he reads off the licence plate.

“Dang, it’s mine,” says a woman from the crowd.

Students from St. Joseph’s School are brought in to sing O Canada. The audience stands as the young children walk in. They’re towered over by the adults.

“You’ll be able to hear them but not see them,” jokes Dooley.

The kids sing beautifully.

Now John Dooley is sworn in by Judge Mrozinski.

Now Judge Mrozinski says she’s going to swear in the six councillors together. She makes sure the councillors say their own names and not John Dooley.

The judge starts them off. Councillors get off to a ragged start. They could take choir lessons from St. Joe’s.

The judge draws laughs as she starts off the oath and then realizes she was reading the wording for the mayor’s oath. We almost had seven mayors there.

Tonight’s ceremony is at the Prestige Lakeside Resort and there are about 140 people here tonight.

Council is sworn in.

Rev. Scott Simpson now reads an invocation. “After taking oaths like that it is a good time to pray for you,” says the Reverend, to the laughter of the office.

7:17 p.m.

Dooley now recognizes two distinguished members of the audience recognized with the Freedom of the City: Joan Richard and Lt. David Cohern (not sure of the spelling of his last name).

Dooley asks Richard, a senior citizen, whether she had been at the last swearing in ceremony. “I was getting a new hip,” she explains, putting a joking defensive tone in her voice to the amusement of mayor, council and the audience.

Now council goes through some formal matters. Dooley is nominated to represent the city at the Regional District of Central Kootenay, with Macdonald as the second.

Macdonald now steps up to the podium to recognize the cultural ambassador for the city. She calls Stephanie Fischer, chair of the Cultural Development Commission, and Joy Barrett, cultural development officer, to make the presentation.

The ambassador is from dance and it’s awarded to Hiromoto Ida.

Ida walks up to the podium. He’s quite funny. “Thank you for this, I’m sorry I have a strange Japanese accent,” he says. His accent is thick but very understandable.

He tells a story about how his father expected him to get a real job, not this dancing thing. “At 50 years old I sometimes think I should have listened to my dad!”

Recognizing long service awards

Wayne Holland, chief of police, steps up first to recognize two people for 20 years of service: Mark Young. Holland asks Young’s wife to stand up. “If anyone thinks a career is done by themselves, then I’ve got a bridge named BOB to sell you.”

Young has served as a guard and bylaw officer for the City of Nelson for 20 years.

Now, Sgt. Fred Mansveld. He started with the Vancouver Police Department and moved to Nelson in the early 1990s. Mansveld will retire in 2012 to manage his family’s growing poultry business. Holland waits a moment while the audience laughs. “In the city?” asks one of the councillors. (I didn’t catch who).

Barb Dionne, a city administrator, is also recognized. She’s unable to be here tonight. Kevin Cormack, city manager, speaks for and about Dionne. If you’ve dealt with the city, chances are you’ve spoken with Dionne, says Cormack. “We’ve had her for 20 years and hopefully we’ll have her for another 10.”

Cal Laybourne, a Nelson Hydro employee has also worked for the city for 20 years.

25 years

Dawn Culter works in the city’s finance department.

Wayne Perry, public works

Chris Dejong, public works

30 years

Jeanette McCarvell, finance

Gil Bogaard, public works

Fred Schneider, Nelson Hydro

Norm Rich, public works

Barry Turner, public works

Bev LaPointe, public works

Dan Swanson, public works

Jack Chambers, fire department

35 years

Simon Grypma, chief of the fire department, has served the city for 35 years. “He started when he was 13 years,” jokes Cormack. The chief has held a host of jobs and positions within the fire department and Cormack says they’re running out of jobs for the chief.

Grypma thanks the previous councils for the support he’s felt over the years that has taken him all the way to the head of the fire department.

The chief says when you get to working as long as he has, you either leave because you don’t have their support anymore or they have enough money to buy you out. (The audience laughs.) “I’m still feeling the support!” says Grypma.

He moves onto more serious matters now, talking about the efforts his department has done to raise money for muscular dystrophy research.

This year the firefighters received an award from the Muscular Dystrophy Award for the fire department of the year for B.C. and the Yukon for their work. Grypma says he’s proud to be the fire chief. He calls up firefighters Bob Patton and Martin Ouelette to receive the award.

A representative from the Office of the Fire Commissioner awards retirement badges to Jack Chambers and Bob Slade, two retired firefighters.

Wayne Holland now recognizes Sgt. Steve Bank for 35 years of service to the police force, several of them with the Vancouver Police Department.

The mayor’s inaugural address

Dooley starts off by recognizing Margaret Stacey, a councillor who lost her seat in the recent election. Dooley thanks her for being a terrific colleague at council.

He also thanks his wife, Pat, and children, who are in the audience.

Now he welcomes the audience as a whole.

When I look through this crowd I see people who give to this community on a regular basis, he says. He’s humbled and honoured to be chosen to be their mayor and he’s sure council feels the same way.

He welcomes the new councillors, Candace Batycki and Paula Kiss, and says how much he’s looking forward to working with each member of council in the coming three years.

Dooley notes the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is working to have increase the number of women on municipal councils to 30 per cent. That’s not a problem in Nelson. This year four of seven members are women (57 per cent). Dooley jokes that he, Adams and Cherbo are working their butts off to have 30 per cent men on council.

The city and the world is in state of shift, says Dooley. The camp in front of city hall by the Occupy Nelson movement is one that needs to be listened to and one that the city is working to bring to a reality. That camp was dismantled by city staff last week.

Dooley remind the audience about the city’s connection with Onagawa, Japan, a city ruined by this year’s earthquake and tsunami. That wave destroyed their infrastructure, says Dooley. The people of Nelson came together and folded origami cranes and sold them, raising money for the relief effort.

Dooley talks about the future of the city. Moving the transfer station from the waterfront will be a huge improvement.

He’s also excited about delivering an outdoor skatepark, a long overdue and much needed project, he says. The CP rail station will also change the nature of the city’s east end.

The council have a big task ahead of them, says Dooley. They’ll start their budget process in the New Year and it will be an eye opener, he says. The city is in good financial standing but they have to manage their funds well.

This is a city that had some challenges, say Dooley. When the Kerr’s Apartments burned down the city pulled together for those residents. Dooley calls on two of the members of that committee to stand and receive a round of applause. Then he calls on two folks who helped organize the origami folding campaign.

When local government and community groups work together they’re working to build a better Canada, says Dooley. The work includes foundations like water and sewer pipes, police, fire fighters and community services.

Nelson is one of the best places on earth, he says.

Now Dooley adjourns the meeting.

Good night. There’s a reception next.

8:24 p.m.