WETHERSFIELD - The Wethersfield Town Council said goodbye to one long-time member, as a mix of incumbents and new faces were sworn in at a post-election ceremony at Town Hall last Monday night.

       Mayor Paul Montinieri will again lead the Democratic majority, which held onto its five seats in an election that saw three parties bring a slate of candidates into the fold. He’s joined by incumbents Steve Barry, who will again serve as deputy mayor, and Tony Martino, as well as newcomers Amy Bello and Anthony Spinella.

       Republicans Mike Rell, Mike Hurley and Donna Hemmann are back, with former Board of Education member Jodi Latina--endorsed by both the Republicans and the Independence Party--filling the last seat. Former councilor Stathis Manousos did not win reelection.

       â€�"I really enjoyed my time serving with everybody here,” Manousos said at the ceremony. â€�"I think you have to enjoy what you do to be successful at it. I feel I’ve been generously rewarded, looking at our accomplishments, as well has having the opportunity to meet with so many residents along the way.”

       Councilors from both parties had kind words for Manousos, who was on the Council for six years, during which he served as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee.

       â€�"I want to thank him for bringing his energy to our meetings,” Hurley said. â€�"He kept our town in good financial shape.”

       Councilors on both sides of the aisle reflected fondly on the, at times, heated discussions between Manousos and Democrats--particularly Montinieri.

       â€�"I felt kind of like a judge at Wimbledon, sitting between you and the mayor,” Rell said to laughter from the audience. â€�"But you taught me a lot.”

       Montinieri stressed the pursuit of economic development opportunities in the ongoing effort to mitigate property tax increases and cross-party collaboration in a statement given after being re-nominated to serve as mayor. The former was a pledge he made when he was first appointed as mayor two years ago.

       Since then, 60 new businesses have come to Wethersfield.

       â€�"We needed to recognize that the stagnation we saw, particularly in the abandoned buildings on the Silas Deane Highway, was an impediment,” Montinieri said. â€�"The stagnation, I think, is in the rearview mirror. People are beginning to believe in Wethersfield as an economically viable community.”

       And the new Council has to keep that going, Martino said. He had noted a recent Hartford Courant-published survey, which had Wethersfield top similar area communities as the best â€�"small city” in the state.

       â€�"I want to see Wethersfield remain the best small city in Connecticut,” Martino said.

       And doing that will take collaboration between both parties, Montinieri said.

       â€�"I know that regardless of who was leading, we all deeply believe in the Wethersfield we want,” he said. â€�"It’s not Democrats. It’s not Republicans. We may disagree, but I think at the end of the day, we need to work together to raise the bar.”

       Montinieri thanked state Reps. Tony Guerrera and Russ Morin for their work in helping to secure a $10 million space waiver--funds that helped cover Wethersfield High School renovation project cost overruns related to PCB remediation.