AT KATE LIPPER-GARABEDIAN’S (right) swearing in at the Grand Staircase (all at least 6 feet apart) were Governor Charlie Baker (left), Governor’s Council Member Terrence Kennedy (staircase lower left), House Speaker Robert DeLeo (staircase lower right), and Legislative colleagues Senator Jason Lewis (staircase upper left) and Representative Paul Donato (staircase upper right). (Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office)
Published in the March 26, 2020 edition.
BOSTON – Early yesterday afternoon, Kate Lipper-Garabedian of Melrose was sworn in as state representative of the 32nd Middlesex District representing Malden, Melrose and Wakefield. Lipper-Garabedian, formerly a Melrose city councilor, ran a grassroots campaign in the special election to replace former state representative and current Mayor of Melrose Paul Brodeur.
She was sworn in at the Statehouse with a limited audience due to restrictions put in place surrounding the coronavirus social distancing protocols. Joining Kate at her swearing in (all at least 6 feet apart) were Governor Baker, Governor’s Council Member Terrence Kennedy, Speaker DeLeo, and legislative colleagues Senator Jason Lewis and Representative Paul Donato.
Under normal circumstances, the ceremony would have taken place during a formal House session with a great deal of pomp and circumstance.
“You have witnessed a historical moment in terms of being here as a representative and as a speaker. I thought I saw everything but this is the first time I ever experienced anything like this,” DeLeo told the State House News Service. “We were talking about even doing it in the Governor’s Council chamber and people felt that was even too close.”
“I’m proud to be on Beacon Hill as the district’s state representative and am ready to hit the ground running,” said Lipper-Garabedian. “I ran to ensure that the district is represented by someone who believes passionately about the role government can play in supporting people and their families. That core belief is particularly salient as we grapple with a global pandemic. I wish my husband and our boys could be here to share this special moment, but their absence is evidence of the remarkable time in which we all are living. I remain mindful of the importance, now more than ever, that the communities I represent have a voice in the policies being developed and support addressing the unique needs they will have navigating this crisis.”
As for the rest of the day? Lipper-Garabedian planned to head home to change diapers, play with her kids, answer emails and phone calls, and hopefully eat pork chops for dinner.
“If it’s a little bit more of a quiet affair tonight, I still recognize that we’re in a really lucky spot,” she said as silence returned to the Statehouse halls.
— The State House News Service contributed to this report.
