By Katie Farrell Lovett
NEWBURYPORT — Mayor-elect Donna Holaday is still many weeks away from taking office, but her training and efforts to advocate for the city at the state level have already begun.
Holaday took part in one of her first official roles as the city's next mayor yesterday — she joined colleagues from across the state at a meeting with Gov. Deval Patrick and other state leaders, aimed at educating the incoming elected officials about state departments and resources available to them.
"It was a wonderful morning," Holaday said following the program at the Statehouse.
Holaday was elected as the city's next mayor on Nov. 3. She will take office Jan. 4.
Holaday said the mayors-elect were addressed by several of the state officials, including the secretaries of education, public safety, transportation, and administration and finance. Each talked about the structure of their organization and their relationship with municipalities, Holaday said.
The group was then joined by Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and each mayor-elect was given time to speak to them about the major issues facing their community.
Holaday said she discussed education funding and the impact of the state's cuts in Chapter 70 education to Newburyport, as well as the Crow Lane landfill and the beach nourishment plan for Plum Island.
According to the state Department of Revenue, last year the city received $3.4 million in Chapter 70 money, which is used to help pay for public education. That figure was cut by about $70,000 this year. The city can't absorb any additional Chapter 70 cuts, Holaday said.
School administrators have said they are preparing for a potential $1.2 million budget shortfall for the schools next year in the wake of the state's economic crisis.
She also said she talked about grant access and ensuring that all communities are given a chance to participate in grant programs.
The meeting also included a discussion on regionalization, as state leaders talked about ways communities can form partnerships, such as with dispatch centers, Holaday said. Information was also distributed about the H1N1 flu vaccines, she said.
Holaday said the meeting was attended by about 15 new mayor-elects, including those from Worcester, Brockton, Fall River and Holyoke.
"I thought it was a wonderful way to begin getting acquainted with what's happening at the state level and to begin forming relationships," she said.
She will attend a training session organized by the Massachusetts Municipal Association on Tuesday.
Current mayors will be among the speakers at that event, Holaday said.
