He signals changes ahead, with nod toward history in low-key swearing-in ceremony

BY TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press

The Coleman Family

Chris Coleman was sworn in Tuesday as St. Paul's 45th mayor in a low-key ceremony that featured a nod toward the city's history and its future.

"Many years ago, perhaps in this very building, Hannah Kennedy, a young Irish immigrant, raised her right hand and swore allegiance to her new country," Coleman told hundreds of people gathered at Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. "Today (as her grandson), I raise my right hand for a different purpose, to swear allegiance to this city, its people and the responsibilities of this office."

He called for a new era of change built on "three core values: cooperation, responsibility and respect."

His 17-minute remarks touched on some of the key issues of the recent mayoral campaign, which he won by a nearly 3-1 ratio, defeating incumbent Randy Kelly. Coleman talked about education, plans to build light-rail transit along University Avenue and better ties between Minneapolis and the capital city.

He did allude to one new initiative he'll be backing: a newly announced scholarship program offering 2006 Minneapolis and St. Paul public high school graduates free tuition at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Metropolitan State University and St. Paul College.

The noontime inaugural event, though, largely reflected the enduring traditions of the city and his own well-known family. His father was once the majority leader in the state Senate and a gubernatorial contender in 1970. The event's moderator, former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer, invoked Nick Coleman's memory for the few in the crowd who weren't familiar with Chris Coleman's political lineage.

Tuesday's event featured a prelude sung by members of Pilgrim Baptist Church, and Coleman entered to a trumpet fanfare played by an ensemble from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In a nod to his Irish heritage, bagpipes played for the posting of flags on the stage, and Coleman's wife, Connie, held a Gaelic Bible as Coleman was sworn in by retired Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Doris Huspeni. Coleman's first job when he graduated from law school was as her clerk in 1987.

The inaugural did mark a decided change at City Hall, nonetheless.

Coleman, 44, is the first mayor in 16 years to bring with him the imprimatur of the city's dominant DFL political party. Many of the state party's leading lights were in the audience, including Hennepin County Attorney and U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who was sworn in for a second term at a morning ceremony.

The inaugural also marks the end of what has been, practically speaking, the Norm Coleman era. He served as mayor from 1993 to 2001 and helped elect Kelly, a very closely allied successor, for a four-year term.

Former Mayor Jim Scheibel said he hoped the event also would mark a change in the sometimes testy relationship between the rival Twin Cities. "He set a great tone, and he had some good themes that I think people will remember, but I think what sticks out is Mayor Rybak being here, and the way that both of them know that to move this area forward we need to share a lot and work together," said Scheibel, who was mayor from 1989 to 1993.

Other attendees were appreciative of Coleman's new role in city history, although he did serve on the City Council for six years before running for mayor.

"In order to know what you want to do, you have to know what's been done, what's being done and where you want to go. Tying in what's happened in the past and where we are in the present to where we want to go in the future, I thought was fantastic," said St. Paul resident Daniel Ward, who volunteered for the Coleman campaign and brought his wife and daughter to the event.

The swearing-in was followed by a session of ice skating by the new mayor, in suit and tie, at the neighboring WinterSkate rink on Landmark Plaza. At City Hall, he greeted supporters and kids from around the city who took him up on his offer to have a seat in his chair on his first day in office.

Inaugural events continued into the night with receptions at the College of St. Catherine and the Minnesota Humanities Center.

Tim Nelson can be reached at [email protected] or 651-292-1159.

Mayoral inaugural events: St. Paul mayoral inaugural events continue through Friday.

today

8 to 9:30 p.m.: Reception, Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park, 1225 Eastbrook Drive.

Thursday

6:30 to 8 p.m.: Reception, Hubbs Center, 1030 University Ave.

7:30 to 9 p.m.: Reception, Neighborhood House/Wellstone Center, 179 E. Robie St.

Friday

6 p.m.: Inaugural dinner and dance, Radisson Riverfront Hotel, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd. Tickets are $100 a person, and information is available at www.2006inaugural.com.