John Dennis hands over role as West Lafayette's mayor to Erin Easter

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — John Dennis, the mayor of West Lafayette for the last 16 years conducted his final act as a public servant for the city on Thursday as he swore in the city’s new mayor, Erin Easter.

“Every city has this event at some point in their history where they change the guard, it is sort of what democracy is all about,” Dennis said before swearing in Easter. “And in this particular moment in history is no different.”

“The one thing that is going to be different now, is that all the work that we have done over the past 16 years is going to look small compared to the work that’s going to be done in the future.

“This community has elected some of the best and brightest and energetic and enthusiastic leaders for our future.

“These folks have a vision, they have talent, they’ve got enthusiasm, they have everything that it takes to take this city to the next level, and I’m honored to be a part of its history, but literally, effective immediately, I am history.”

When Dennis finished his final statement as mayor, he asked Easter to the front of the room to conduct the oath of office and officially handed over the responsibility of the city.

After being sworn in, Easter shared her excitement of the moment and reflected on the responsibility of the position she now holds for the city and its citizens.

“There are a lot of things that you prepare for in life and every step along the way it feels more real, but it's not until you’re officially in office that it really feels real,” Easter said.

“If you think about all of the roles and responsibilities, it becomes overwhelming, but when you really remember why you are doing it, which is to serve the citizens of the community, it’s really easy to go back to each of those foundational pieces of what makes a city and what the role of the mayor is.

“You keep coming back to the idea that you are serving your community and the people that live within it.”

One of the first pieces of policy Easter hopes to achieve within her first year as mayor will be to develop a strategic planning process for the city of West Lafayette.

“Not only will we be looking at what our goals will be for the next five years, but we’re also looking at the structure and operation of the city,” she said. "We’re looking at future growth and what the city needs to provide in terms of staff.

“We want to be able to continue to serve our citizens at a really high level. So, as we look at all of those things, it's critical to have citizen and community input, because it's not just whether the trash gets picked up. But we have to make sure that all the things we’ve done and have done well, continue to happen and that we have a plan for the future.”

Easter also emphasized her commitment to continuing the close relationship that the city has with both Lafayette and the Tippecanoe County government, as she says that relationship has played a major role in the continuing success of the three municipalities.

“We will continue to be collaborative. No one person should be on an island on their own and should not be making decisions on their own,” she said. “I think Mayor Dennis exemplified that really well, and I think some of that expectation can be the same with me.”

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Erin Easter sworn in as West Lafayette's newest mayor