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JERREY ROBERTS

Former Northampton mayor Clare Higgins reacts during a toast and roast held for her Monday at the Look Park Garden House.

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JERREY ROBERTS

Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, left, and state Rep. Peter Kocot applaud during the toast and roast for former Northampton mayor Clare Higgins on Monday at the Look Park Garden House.

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JERREY ROBERTS

Former Northampton mayor Clare Higgins holds a can of nuts given to her by Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan that he suggested she could use as a paperweight during a roast and toast held for her Monday at the Look Park Garden House.

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JERREY ROBERTS

About 200 people attended the toast and roast for former Northampton mayor Clare Higgins on Monday at the Look Park Garden House.

NORTHAMPTON — A surprise “visit” from a nationally known figure added some celebrity flavor to a roast Monday night for former Northampton mayor Clare Higgins.

MSNBC political talk show host Rachel Maddow credited Higgins with creating and sustaining a vibrant downtown that has inspired competition for real estate mogul Eric Suher.

"Thank you for keeping alive the hope that someday, some way, someone with a name other than Eric might own something in Northampton," said Maddow, who has a home in Cummington and formerly hosted the "Big Breakfast" on radio station WRSI. Her remarks were taped in advance of the celebratory roast of Higgins.

Her comments received loud applause and a roar of laughter from friends and colleagues of the former mayor.

But throughout all the ribbing Higgins received at a packed Garden House at Look Park, there was also a clear reflection of how much her 12 years in office were appreciated.

Current Mayor David Narkewicz, state Rep. Peter Kocot of Northampton and Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray were among the estimated 200 people who attended to reflect on Higgins' legacy.

"She's left her city and the commonwealth a better place because of her service," said Murray, calling Higgins a voice of common sense for good policy.

As he presented a citation from Gov. Deval Patrick, Murray added that Higgins was a mayor whose love for her city was reflected in her deeds.

Higgins stepped down after almost 12 years as mayor in September to head Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions, a Greenfield-based anti-poverty agency that serves 30,000 people in 50 communities.

Higgins said that she was overwhelmed by the support shown at Monday's event, and that she had gotten as much from her public service as she had given.

"I really enjoyed my time in elected office in the city of Northampton," Higgins said.

Kocot offered a list of Higgins' achievements, including the construction of a new senior center and police station, a roundabout in front of Look Park, and support for a Main Street that is the envy of many communities.

"She's obviously one of the hardest-working mayors in the world," Kocot said.

Kocot praised Higgins for her belief that government can be a powerful force in people's lives, her support for equal marriage rights for gay couples, and her campaign efoorts on behalf of President Obama and Patrick.

He urged her supporters to now help Higgins in her new campaign to fight poverty. "Clare is now going to make sure everyone in western Massachusetts succeeds," Kocot said.

Lisa Baskin, a member of the committee that organized the event, said the idea was to show Higgins how much city residents are grateful to her.

"People in the community wanted to celebrate Clare, roast her and honor her for her extraordinary terms as mayor and president of the City Council," Baskin said.

The program included comments from former Department of Public Works director George Andrikidis and political supporter Phil O'Donoghue, as well as WRSI "The River" radio personalities Kelsey Flynn and Monte Belmonte.

The surprise guest of the night was Maddow.

"It's almost impossible to imagine Northampton without Clare running the place," said Maddow.

Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan joked that Higgins' legacy would be fashion, and gave her a swatch of burlap to inspire an outfit for the next Community Action ball.

Other jokes were made at the expense of her past political opponents.

Sullivan gave Higgins flowers, which he said came from a perennial candidate for mayor.

"Roy Martin couldn't make it here tonight, so I wanted to present these flowers," Sullivan said. "Every year he ran against her so she could win."

City Council President William Dwight, the master of ceremonies for the event, stood in front of a screen with comments about the speakers. When Murray took the stage, the screen was intentionally left blank.

"As you see, no jokes really come to mind," Dwight said.

"Thanks for no driving jokes," said Murray, who was driving 100 mph when he wrecked his state-owned car in a Nov. 2 accident.

Belmonte joked that he almost wasn't let into the building because of the resemblance his shaved head gave him to another mayoral candidate.

"I almost didn't make it in the door because of the Northampton elites who thought I was Michael Bardsley," Belmonte said.

Flynn read a list of the top 10 reasons Higgins was as much a mother to her constituents as their mayor, recalling events such as the creation of the Business Improvement District and extending the life of the city landfill.

For each event, Flynn inserted motherly statements Higgins might have made in response to her critics, such as to those who argued other municipalities had achieved zero waste.

"Mother Clare Higgins said if other towns and cities jumped off a cliff, would we?" Flynn quipped.

A proclamation written by Higgins' former mayoral aide Karen Bellavance-Grace, inspired by Ogden Nash, was read by Narkewicz. The poem read, in part, "A one-term mayor, that's a fluke; a six-term mayor, that's a kook."

Higgins was also given a proclamation from the mayor's office, while Dwight presented her with a transparent gavel from the City Council.