Bob Consalvo Sworn in as Mayor

stood at a podium in the New Port Richey City Council chambers Tuesday night and raised a hand in the air.

Repeating after Linda Kann, Consalvo recited the oath of office that would start his term as New Port Richey’s new mayor.

“I, Bob Consalvo, a citizen of the United States of America,” he said, “and a full-time resident of the City of New Port Richey, and being an officer of the City of New Port Richey…do solemnly swear… to support the Constitution and the laws of the United States and the Constitution and the laws of the state of Florida.”

“I further swear..I will, in all respects, observe the provisions of the Charter and ordinances of the City of New Port Richey, and will faithfully discharge the duties of Mayor/Councilman to the best of my abilities.”

Then came a hug from Kann.

And then it was time to get to work.

Consalvo’s first night on the job began with a short ceremony and a return to a seat on the city council, on which he once served as deputy mayor.

Consalvo replaces attorney Scott McPherson, who served one three–year term as mayor and chose not to run for re-election. McPherson welcomed Consalvo to the new position.

“I think you’re going to do an excellent job,” said McPherson, who served with Consalvo during his term as deputy mayor. “I have all the confidence in the world in you.”

Here’s what was on the agenda on his first night on the job: An idea to implement new mobility impact fees in the city.  First drafts of proposals to ban aggressive panhandling and set up a registry of properties left vacant or going through foreclosure. Then, a debate on whether to waive fees and shut down Grand Blvd. and roads downtown for the annual Cotee River Seafood Festival and Boat Parade next month.

Consalvo announced in February that he was coming out of retirement to run for mayor. No one else qualified for the job during the filing period, and he was named incoming mayor. This was the city's second consecutive municipal election cancelled because of a lack of contest.

Consalvo served as the city’s Parks and Recreation Director for two decades before he was appointed to fill a vacant seat on thein December 2006. He ran for the seat in 2007 and was elected for a three-year term, serving as deputy mayor for the last two years.

McPherson, who started his time as mayor in 2008, said he did the best he could during his term to steer the city in the right direction in the economic recession.

Known as someone who was unafraid to share his opinions on everything from red light cameras to proposed policies, McPherson endured controversy when he publicly erupted at Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies after his wife was arrested on a night out last summer. He was also accused of later making phone calls threatening the deputies' jobs unless she was released from jail. He reportedly said afterward that he would resign and then later said he had been misquoted.

”I don’t believe that distractions ever affected my performance on city council," he said in an interview. "Tonight's not about me. It's about the new mayor Bob Consalvo. As far as trying to rehash the last three years, I'm just looking forward to getting back to trying to help with the private sectors and still contribute in that way."

When mayors leave their jobs, they point to city beautification projects, McPherson said. With the city’s redevelopment fund having a debt service of at least $21 million, there was no money for such projects.

“What we have done, that a lot of cities have not been able to do, is stuff that you don’t see,” he told a crowd gathered at city hall. “We’ve had two streetscapings. We’ve had road improvements. We’ve had public hearings and special sessions that went very well. We’ve had drainage projects go through. The public utilities building has been completed.”

Most importantly, the city succeeded at maintaining quality of life, he said.

“With what we have, I think we did a very good job,” he said. “We’ve kept the city very well maintained.  We’ve kept as many people employed as possible. I don’t think people have noticed any big drop off in city services.”