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JERREY ROBERTS

Newly elected Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz smiles during election results Tuesday at City Hall.

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For one city mayor, Tuesday's inauguration is little more than an interruption in the work day, while for another, it represents a whole new chapter for his career and his city.

Mayors, city councilors, school committee members and other office-holders in Hampshire County's two cities of Northampton and Easthampton will take their solemn oaths of office in separate ceremonies that couldn't be handled more differently.

In Easthampton, Mayor Michael Tautznik will be sworn in for an eighth term in office in the Municipal Building on Payson Avenue.

"I think it's just a formality for me," Tautznik, 58, said last week. "We take the oath and that's it."

The ceremony will be held on the second floor of the Municipal Building, where City Clerk Barbara LaBombard will administer a simple oath to 16 office-holders, including Tautznik, nine city councilors, and members of the School Committee.

"There's no big to-do," said LaBombard. " It's pretty short and sweet - get the job done and go back to work."

In Northampton, at 10 a.m. at Northampton High School, acting Mayor and Mayor-Elect David J. Narkewicz will be sworn in as the city's 44th mayor, taking an oath that will enable him to drop a few of the words in front of his name. About 25 office-holders will take oaths of office administered by Northampton District Court Judge Jacklyn Connly.

Narkewicz, 45, who won 70 percent of the vote in defeating former city councilor Michael Bardsley in November, replaces former mayor Clare Higgins, who resigned before her term was up to take a job as head of Community Action!, the region's anti-poverty program.

Though Narkewicz has been serving as acting mayor since Higgins' departure Sept. 9 and then as mayor-elect since he was elected Nov. 8, he sees Tuesday's event as a momentous occasion, not in the least anticlimactic.

"This is a great honor and nothing can diminish that," said Narkewicz in an interview Friday in the mayor's suite of offices at City Hall. "The opportunity to serve my community in this office is incredible, so I'm excited about the inauguration."

The event will follow an agenda honed over the years by previous administrations, including performances by the Northamptones, Northampton High School's a cappella group, a benediction by a local minister, this time the Rev. Andrea Ayvazian, introduction of previous mayors (Mary Ford, David Cramer and Higgins are expected to be present), and a speech by the new mayor.

Narkewicz said he's been working on his inaugural address, seeking advice from some quarters, "and the common theme I hear is keep it brief."

He said he plans to thank voters for electing him, and other elected officials for serving, but also talk about some of the issues and goals he outlined during his campaign.

"Those speeches one gives as a candidate have in some way been affirmed by the election results," Narkewicz said. "The difference is that this speech is now not theoretical, it's actually a blueprint for a new administration."

While serving as mayor in an acting capacity, Narkewicz said, he has held back to some degree.

"I've tried to be respectful of the fact that I'm not officially the mayor until I take the oath of office," he said.

He planned to polish up the speech over the weekend.

"It's an interesting speech, because it's my first day on the job," he said.

Narkewicz said members of his family, including his wife, Yelena Micich, their daughters, Emma and Zoe, and several siblings will be at the inauguration. His mother, Madeline Narkewicz, who surprised him when she arrived from Florida on Election Day, is not expected to make it, he said.

Later in the day, a reception will be held at the Look Park Garden House for all office-holders to have a chance to meet with the public.

Narkewicz said in planning the social event, he looked at what previous mayors had done, and decided to hold a reception after the work day was over for most people.

"A ball didn't really seem to fit the economic times, but I also wanted to have some opportunity for the citizens to meet with their elected officials, and since many people can't come at 10 in the morning, the idea was to do a reception at the end of the day, from 5 to 7," he said. "It's an opportunity for elected officials to meet and greet residents."

Meanwhile in Easthampton, there will be no inaugural speech given - "I'm not one for speeches," Tautznik said - but there will be a reception after the swearing-in, with refreshments.