Groton — The Town Council on Tuesday re-elected Patrice Granatosky as town mayor and recognized outgoing town Councilor Rita Schmidt for her years of service to the town. 

Attorney General William Tong administered the oath of office to the councilors, who are all Democrats, during a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday evening prior to the council meeting at the Town Hall Annex. Voters last month elected incumbent Town Councilors Portia Bordelon, who was appointed to the council in September; Aundré Bumgardner; Rachael Franco; Patrice Granatosky; Conrad Heede; Lian Obrey; Juliette Parker; and Joe Zeppieri, along with Juan Melendez, who is new to the council but had served on the Representative Town Meeting.

“This is particularly meaningful to me because I look out at this council and I see one of the most diverse collections of town councilors and municipal officials that you will see anywhere, not just in Connecticut, but in this country,” Tong said. “And I think this town and this city should be so proud of that: that you have elected a council that reflects all of you and reflects the best of who you are.”

Tong further highlighted the recent news of the contract between the Navy and Electric Boat for at least nine Virginia-class submarines and Groton’s role as home to the heart of the nation’s submarine fleet. He said “this town in a singular way is vital to the future of our state and our families.” He added that the decisions the council members will make don’t just matter to Groton but to the entire state and the regional economy.

During Tuesday's council meeting, Granatosky was elected town mayor with six votes. Bumgardner also was nominated and received two votes.

Granatosky, a teacher who has served for the past two years as town mayor, thanked the people of Groton in a statement.

"We are honored to serve as your council for the next two years," Granatosky said. "For the past several months, we have had conversations with so many residents in every corner of town. We heard your hopes and we heard your concerns, and we look forward to working to grow Groton together. We count on continued communications with our state delegation, Sen. (Heather) Somers and Reps. (Christine) Conley and (Joe) de la Cruz, our counterparts in the city and Groton Long Point, and our team at the Board of Education and the RTM."

"We look forward to continuing our efforts at smart growth, protecting our natural resources, moving Groton toward a resilient and sustainable future and, of course, securing a fine education for all of Groton’s children," Granatosky added. "Thank you again and to paraphrase Barack Obama, we are honored and grateful that we have a chance to finish what we started. Our work begins tonight. Let’s go."

Bordelon noted four people from minority groups were elected to the nine-member council, calling it a "true representation of Groton."

Five women are on the council, and councilors represent a span of ages from 20s to 70s.

'A tireless volunteer'

The council honored Schmidt, who has served about five terms on the council along with a host of other positions in town, with a plaque, proclamation, flowers and a photo of the council. Schmidt, who chairs the Eastern Regional Tourism District, said this summer she was not seeking another term on the council to give new people a chance, and is continuing her involvement in tourism.

In presenting the plaque, Obrey noted "just a few" of Schmidt's accomplishments, including her contributions to tourism, serving as a justice of the peace, and serving on the Economic Development Committee, Town Council and a term as town mayor, on the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee and personnel committee, among others.

Zeppieri presented the proclamation recognizing Schmidt "as an active member of the Town of Groton and the Mystic community for more years than most people can remember" and "a tireless volunteer on many town, regional and state boards" and thanking her "for the many contributions she bestowed toward the betterment of our community."

He called her "a lady filled with hope."

"She always looks on the bright side for all of us, so I thank you for leading," Zeppieri said.

Granatosky called Schmidt a great role model, and Parker thanked her for guiding them.

Bumgardner recalled that the first call he made when elected five years ago as state representative at age 20 was to Schmidt, who was then town mayor. He said what he thought was going to be a quick phone call became an hourlong conversation where she updated him on the great work the town was doing and identified areas of collaboration, and he also got to know her.

"You always had an open door and always (were) willing to listen, and I felt like you placed tremendous faith and trust in me and I always valued that," Bumgardner said.

Schmidt said she will miss every moment on Tuesday evenings and will be checking in "to see what’s happening in our wonderful town."

"I know that the problems that we have can seem very difficult to tackle at many times, but I know this is a group that will do this and do it very, very well," she said. "I want to say congratulations to each one of you. I’m very proud of you, and I was very honored to serve with you. Thank you."

k.drelich@theday.com