VIDALIA — Pledging the start of a new era of progress and accountability, new leadership took their oaths of office in Vidalia Friday.

Mayor Buz Craft, Aldermen Sabrina Doré, Robert Gardner, and Tommy Probst and Police Chief Joey Merrill took the oath of office for the first time Friday, while Aldermen Jon Betts and Tron McCoy renewed their oaths for the start of a new term.

Craft said that as he started his campaign he had encountered “an atmosphere of rising hope and purpose” that inspired him to continue, and now that he has been elected and taken office, he recognizes the responsibility his election represents.

“We work for you,” he told those present. “We should give you our best effort.”

Citing the “magnitude of responsibility” leaders have, Craft said they have to consider “What do we learn when we go to bed at night? How do we impact our community?”

That starts with a focus on industry and bringing in jobs, Craft said, saying he’d met many disillusioned youth in the area that had been impacted by the loss of job opportunities in recent years.

“There’s nobody to blame,” he said. “It is just economics, but we stand at a crossroads.”

Part of economic recruiting will include cleaning up the town, Craft said, having good schools and clean parks so that when industrial representatives come in, they will see a town to which they want to bring their own loved ones.

And while Craft said the city was dedicated to cleaning up, he also made an appeal to residents to take up that commitment.

“If you have signs in need of repair or painting, please clean them up,” he said. “Drive through town and make mental notes. Come back in three months, and I promise you will see a difference.”

Craft likewise promised that City Hall would more transparent, saying residents, “need public information” and quoted John F. Kennedy in saying that covering up government actions is “repugnant.”

“You as citizens of this town deserve that public information,” he said.

“We will be transparent, totally. I want you to know my mistakes.”

The mayor also addressed his decision to remove approximately 20 city employees, saying he’d had difficult decisions to make and had to see those people around town.

“I am sorry there were layoffs,” he said. “But I am also sorry for the person I went to having trouble paying utility bills because costs were too high.”

Gardner said his goals were addressing drainage in his district and getting “sidewalks that will match other districts,” but also quoted the Bible — “how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” — in calling for the city to “come together as one Vidalia and keep this city on the move.”

Doré said it has been a “tremendously long year,” and that the new board is ready to get to work. Doré called for the city to look only to the future.

“I don’t want us looking in the past, unless it is in the rearview mirror to learn from past lessons,” she said.

Probst said the key to keeping the new government successful is communication.

“We don’t know if you don’t come to us,” he said.

“These people on this board will work to get your solution.

“All I need is the question, and I will work to get the answer you need.”

McCoy alluded to the often contentious, political discourse of the last year, which ultimately resulted in the election of largely new leadership, in his comments.

“At some point, this community has to heal. This community had an election and an election was won,” he said. “Any political agendas that one may have thought we had, I promise you — through personal conversations — it has always been about moving Vidalia forward.”

Betts said he was a very blessed man, thankful to be an American and for the “citizenship” God has also given him in Heaven. He also said he’s grateful for the support of his wife and “grateful for the gift to serve, that you had the confidence to return me to office.”

Merrill said that in order to succeed as police chief, “you have to be invested in your city.”

He promised the police force would be properly trained, well-equipped and visible in every neighborhood, saying, “I want everybody to feel safe in their neighborhood, and to call on the officers when needed.”

Merrill said he would have an open door policy, and has chosen seasoned supervisors who have a combined 80 years of experience in law enforcement.

“I will take your needs seriously,” he said.