Dumais inaugurated as 44th Marlborough mayor during New Year's Day ceremony

MARLBOROUGH — For the first time in more than decade, the city rang in the new year by inaugurating a brand-new mayor.

J. Christian Dumais addressed a New Year's Day crowd at the Charles W. Whitcomb School by promising changes in city communication, downtown development and planning, and more.

Dumais, formerly a Ward 3 city councilor, earned the right to succeed six-term incumbent Mayor Arthur Vigeant by defeating fellow councilor Samantha Perlman in the Nov. 7 city election. Vigeant had announced earlier last year that he would not seek re-election after 12 years in office.

Dumais said a primary issue under his administration will be communication, something he had said on the campaign trail was lacking in Marlborough.

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“I will be conducting quarterly town hall meetings that will allow residents and business owners to share their concerns, ask questions and get up-to-date information on what is actually happening in the city,” Dumais said. “All of our town halls will be live streamed, and one of them will exclusively be held online.”

The new mayor added that he would be instituting a "mobile mayor’s office," allowing him to be more free in the community to meet constituents where they are. He also mentioned creating a monthly newsletter for Marlborough and creating a city alert system through emails, texts and phone notifications that can inform the public on changes and developments.

“When you are informed, we have a better Marlborough,” Dumais said.

Dumais promises progress on a new fire station on the west side

Dumais also said he plans to retool the city website over the next month in order to make it easier for residents to access information.

Another key issue for Dumais is the development of a fire station on the city's west side, a longstanding issue between the City Council and the mayor’s office. Dumais said that while it’s unlikely a new fire station will be up and running by the end of his first term, he aims to have a location and a groundbreaking on a project by the end of 2025.

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“When talking about a project this size, we must be realistic," he said. "A station will not be built and operational within the next two years. We can, however, make progress in finding a location, and breaking ground, both of which are a goal I hope to accomplish by the end of my first term."

Dumais, who owns DruMais Salon and Day Spa on Springhill Avenue in Marlborough, also discussed the urgent need to continue to revive and improve the business atmosphere for Main Street and downtown Marlborough.

“We are working with the Marlborough Economic Development Corp. and the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce to create our first Main Street Working Group, which will be comprised of business owners, landlords, employees and other stakeholders, with the goal of bringing together a comprehensive vision for the future of Main Street,” Dumais said. “We have many great businesses on Main Street, but we can do better and make Main Street a destination.”

Dumais seeks a more pedestrian-friendly downtown

In addition to the working group, Dumais said he will look to make the area around Main Street more pedestrian-friendly. He pointed out a need to renovate the Walker Building, at 255 Main Street, which he called “the crown jewel of downtown.”

“I will work closely with the MEDC, the housing authority, and other groups to make sure that building remains in city hands, while making it an active asset to downtown, and our city,” the mayor said.

Dumais said he's also looking to bring back events that had been discontinued, such as the Labor Day Festival.

“One of the original reasons I wanted to run for mayor is because I believed that our sense of community and our sense of pride was in decline," Dumais told the audience. "Talking to people over the past year, I saw that many of you agreed. I’m excited to announce that my administration will be working to bring back the Marlborough Labor Day Festival, Taste of Marlborough and other events aimed at trying to revive our Marlborough pride.”

Monday's ceremony also included the inaugurations for new members of the City Council, including Mark Vital (Ward 1), Robert Preciado (Ward 3) and Albert "Trey" Fuccillo (Ward 6), as well as School Committee members Daniel Caruso and Katherine Hennessy, who were each reelected in November.

Appearing as a special guest at the event was Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, who served as Salem's mayor from 2006-23.

“It’s a special day," she told the crowd. "The confidence that your neighbors, many of whom are here, have placed in each of you to make decisions on their behalf, there is nothing more special that having that confidence from your neighbors to make decisions on how this community is going to grow and thrive and continue to bring a high quality of life. If you think about the branch of government that we rely on the most in our lives, it's local government. Educating your kids, keeping our neighborhood safe, investing in places that you’ll make memories, whether it’s a favorite park or a downtown corner, that all happens through local government.”

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: J. Christian Dumais inaugurated as Marlborough's 44th mayor