New Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan wasted little time reinforcing the tone he'll set at Akron City Hall -- even though the swearing-in ceremony was a formality, given he'd been mayor since midnight.

Akron's fourth mayor this year, following the tumult of the resignation of long-term Mayor Don Plusquellic, short-term Mayor Garry Moneypenny and interim service from Mayor Jeff Fusco asked all the members of his extended family to stand in a standing-room only Greystone Hall. Row upon row stood. Also among those in attendance was former Councilman Mike Williams, whom Horrigan defeated in the Democratic primary. The two are long-time friends dating back to their mutual service on City Council.

Comparisons to Plusquellic will be inevitable; he was not spotted in the room. But the tone of this swearing-in ceremony stood in marked contrast to other official political moments of the past 28 years with an upbeat vibe in the room, rather than a defensiveness or defiance that marked some of the former long-standing mayor's events.

Minutes earlier his daughter, Cassidy Horrigan, had thanked her father for setting an example for her and her siblings, even making her run extra drills as a basketball coach -- something she joked she was just saying. Longtime friend Pat D'Andrea painted a picture of a man who leads with others, a theme echoed by Fusco and Summit County Judge Tom Teodosio, who administered the public oath of office.

Fusco joked he'd "been waiting a long time" for this New Year's Day, a nod toward the circumstances of his elevation from Council President so soon after Moneypenny took office. 

Perhaps a sign of his value of team building was the recognition he asked the audience to bestow on the workers at Greystone Hall, who only hours earlier were using the same space as a command center for Akron's 20th FirstNight celebration. He thanked his family, all candidates both supportive and opposing for working toward public service, and recognized City Council members, department heads and other government officials in the room.

"This is the first day of a new year, and a new day for Akron," Horrigan said, promising to work toward "an economy that is sufficiently inclusive." He noted other historic challenges in moving from an agricultural economy to a manufacturing economy and the uncertainty of Akron during war. "Akron is at a crossroads. You have to ask yourself every single day are we comfortable to simply manage a population decline and it's impact, or are we prepared to make that commitment today, right here, you and I, that we believe Akron's poised to innovate and grow."

"We must see unprecendented partnerships," Horrigan noted in his nearly nine-minute remarks following his oath. "As we innovate and grow, we push ourselves to build a vibrant community, but having the strength to build a "city of inclusion" where a rising tide raises all ships.

Horrigan did show humor in his closing remarks, noting it wasn't true he'd timed the 10:00 ceremony so attendees could get back home in time to watch Ohio State play in the Fiesta Bowl. As any person proud of their Irish roots would attest, Horrigan noted he'd planned the timetime to coincide with the 1:00 kickoff of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who face the Buckeyes.

Horrigan told WAKR.net he'd been getting plenty of advice since his election in November, "...whether it's sewers, economic development, vibrancy of downtown, vibrancy of neighborhoods...to me they're all connected and I think we all have to try and tackle them at once. There's not a priority list but it's like a huge meal, that you just start knocking out a little bit at a time."