EASTHAMPTON - The mayor, City Councilors and School Committee members elected in the Nov. 8 election were sworn in last week at the Municipal Building without much fuss. "This will be a simple ceremony because we all have to get back to work," said City Clerk Barbara LaBombard before swearing in Mayor Michael Tautznik.

The event that drew about 25 people, including state Rep. John W. Scibak, D-South Hadley, and Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield, who both represent Easthampton, and Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, an Easthampton resident.

Tautznik said that shortages in state funding are the most difficult challenges he expects to face in his eighth term in office. "We always have to worry about how we can continue to fund local services," he said.

More positive things he is looking forward to include completing the high school building project and connecting the new solar array on the capped Oliver Street landfill to the power grid.

The three officials elected to their first term in office were sworn in one at a time: School Committee member Debora Lusnia and at-large city councilors Chester Ogulewicz and Nathaniel Ziegler.

"I'm excited to be more than 'councilor-elect,'" Ziegler said. "It feels official. I just got my first meeting agenda and I'm looking forward to moving forward and getting things done."

Five reelected members of the City Council - Daniel C. Hagan of District 1, Joy E. Winnie of District 3, Daniel D. Rist of District 5 and at-large councilors Joseph P. McCoy and Donald L. Cykowski - took the oath in unison. Re-elected School Committee members Peter Gunn, LaDonna Crow, Bonnie Katusich, Nancy Sykes and Lori Ingraham also took the oath simultaneously.

District 2 Councilor Justin P. Cobb missed the ceremony because he was mistaken about the time. LaBombard administered his oath at the beginning of the City Council meeting that followed the ceremony. Councilors then elected Cobb as their president and McCoy as vice president.

District 4 Councilor Salem Derby was not able to attend the ceremony because he was sick and was sworn in Jan. 4.

At the meeting following the ceremony, City Councilors unanimously endorsed a resolution stating that the council does not condone or tolerate discrimination.

The resolution was proposed in response to a comment made by a councilor at the Dec. 7 City Council meeting.

"I'm hoping the Latino community and anyone who was offended will accept this as evidence of our sincerity," said District 2 City Councilor Justin P. Cobb, who was elected president of the council by his peers just after they passed the resolution.

On Dec. 7, At-Large Councilor Donald L. Cykowski uttered the remark, "Where's a Puerto Rican when we need one?" when a fellow councilor was unable to enter the meeting room because the door was locked.

He apologized for his comment on Dec. 21, but some still called for his resignation or for the City Council to censure, or formally rebuke, Cykowski.

The resolution, proposed Tuesday by At-Large City Councilor Joseph P. McCoy in his last act as council president, states that an "inappropriate and offensive comment" was made at the Dec. 7 meeting, and resolves that "the city of Easthampton and its representatives shall not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination."

McCoy told the Gazette he wrote the resolution to clearly state the council's distaste for the "offensive statement" Cykowski made.

"I'm hoping that at least one positive result of this unfortunate statement is an opportunity, not only for the City Council, but for that matter our city, state and country, to reaffirm its intolerance of any form of discrimination and negative stereotypes," he said at the meeting Tuesday.

Cykowski seconded the motion to pass the resolution, and after the meeting said that he thought the resolution was "proper."

He declined to give any comments on his initial remark other than to say, "As far as I'm concerned, I apologized."

Rebecca Everett can be reached at reverett@gazettenet.com.