On January 5, 2026, the City of Beverly held its inauguration ceremony for Mayor Michael P. Cahill (beginning his seventh term and the city's first four-year mayoral term), the City Council, and the School Committee at Beverly High School. The ceremony included presentations, an invocation, the reading of election results, administration of oaths, and an inaugural address by Mayor Cahill. Immediately following, the City Council held its first meeting of the year, presided over by Vice President Matthew St. Hilaire (elected during the meeting) due to the absence of Council President Julie Flowers (ill). The council approved several appointments, referred orders to committees, and set public hearings for January 20, 2026.
Good morning. And welcome to the twenty twenty-six inauguration ceremony for the city of Beverly. Please take a moment to silence your phone. I'm Sean Cahill, the proud brother of Mayor Mike Cahill. And I'm your master of ceremonies for today. It's an honor to be here at my Alma Mata, Beverly High School, to help inaugurate Mayor Cahill to his seventh term of office as mayor of Beverly and to inaugurate our City Council and School Committee. Congratulations to all who won elected office and who will be sworn in today, and to your families and friends who helped you achieve this great success. We the voters of Beverly are grateful to you for the sacrifices you make of your time and energy to make our city a better place. In fact, thank you to everyone who ran for local office in this past election. We appreciate your sacrifice and commitment as well. And thank you to the voters of Beverly and all who volunteer to make our elections happy. Sorry, happen. Today we exercise our democratic freedoms by formally empowering the government that we the people chose to govern our city. In this our quadro centennial year, we also commemorate the four hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Nam Keg settlement in what we now call Beverly and Salem. Nam Keg means place of eels or fishing place in the language of the Potucket people, the original inhabitants of this land. Thank you to the students and teachers of Beverly High School and to the religious leaders who will participate in today's ceremony, and to Martha Lewis for organizing it. Now we will have the presentation of colors by the Beverly High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC Color Guard. This will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by our incoming city council and school committee members, and then the Beverly High School Vocal Ensemble will perform our national anthem. Please rise. Now please join me in welcoming Rabbi Alison Adler from Temple Bonet Abraham, who will give the invitation. Okay, we'll just keep moving forward. Um now please join me in welcoming City Clerk Lisa Kent, who will read the certificate of election. The Board of Registers of Voters in the City of Beverly have canvassed and compare the returns from the six boards and twelve precincts of the votes cast at the municipal election held on the fourth day of November in the year two thousand and twenty-five. Said election has been held by authority and under the provisions of chapter one, chapter two thirty-eight of the acts of nineteen fifty-one is amended by chapter one twelve of the acts of nineteen sixty-two and further amended by the chapter 48 of the acts of twenty-three. It appears from their terms of the voters cast at each election that the following persons have been elected officials of the city of Beverly for the terms specific to the charter. Mayor for the term of four years from the first Monday of January 2026, Michael P. Cahill. Counselor at large for the term term of two years from the first Monday of January 2026, Julie R. Flowers, City Council President, John J. Millady, and Keith A. Sonya. Counselors from Wards for the term of two years from the first Monday of January 26th. Catherine Galliv and Frost at Ward 1. Madeline Rose Lennox, Ward 2, Kemberley Collio, Ward 3, Lindsay Jacham, Ward 4, Cyrin Robinson, Ward 5, John E. Taylor, Ward 6, District A, Geraldine Cahill, District B, Lorinda Visnick, and I attest as the City Clerk. Thank you, Clerk Kent. So now Clerk Kent will administer the oath of office to Mayor Cahill, uh, to the Beverly City Council and to the Beverly School Committee. Unfortunately, City Council President Julie Flowers is not feeling well and will be sworn in at a later point. I'm Michael Parker Cahill. Just follow me swear. Do solemnly swear and affirm. And affirm that I will faithfully and impartially and impartially discharge and perform. Discharge and perform. All the duties incumbent on me. All the duties incumbent on me. As mayor for the city of Beverly. As mayor for the City of Beverly. According to the best of my abilities. According to the best of my abilities. And understanding.