Theresa Mohan became the first woman to serve as Pelham’s town supervisor Monday evening when she took the oath of office from Town Justice Adam Kagan at a ceremony at the Daronco Townhouse.
Kagan also administered oaths of office to incumbent town board member Kara McLoughlin and three newly elected officials, Town Clerk Eileen Miller, Collector of Taxes Erica Winter and board member Michael Jenks, all Democrats.
Two other Democrats serving as board members, Maura Curtin and Kristen Burke, attended, along with a crowd of more than two dozen family members and friends of the newly elected officials, as well as Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen and Pelham Manor Trustee Deborah Winstead. But the main focus was on Mohan, who spoke for about five minutes after being sworn in.
“In a land shaped by natural history and measured in millennia, and in a formal community founded in 1654, women shaped Pelham long before they had political rights,” she said. “As volunteers, educators, organizers, caretakers, builders, and leaders, often without titles that reflected the full measure of their impact.”
Mohan praised her predecessor in the job, Dan McLaughlin, commending him for managing the town well during his terms in office, but she said Pelham is now at an inflection point: “Our town works, but it can work better. And thoughtful change done with respect with what has come before is not disruption, it’s stewardship.
“My commitment as supervisor is simple and demanding: to listen carefully, lead with integrity, to modernize where needed, and ensure that this town continues to serve residents at every single stage of life, today and for generations to come. Our community has always been shaped by people who understand that the opportunity to serve is a privilege. And that responsibility is something you step into, not something you wait to feel ready for. That service is both an honor and an obligation, and it has sustained Pelham across centuries of change. It is that standard I intend to uphold and that measure to which I hope the work will be judged. I’m honored to serve the town, I look forward to working with the town board, and all of us, to take care of the Pelham of today as stewards responsible for generations to come.”
The Pelham Town Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 12 at 7 PM at Town Hall.
