HOLYOKE ― Bagpipes and ballots will set the tone Monday, Jan. 5, as Mayor Joshua A. Garcia begins his second four-year term during the city’s 2026 inaugural ceremony at City Hall.

Holyoke is inviting the public to the swearing-in ceremony at City Hall. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., and the program starts at 10.

Garcia will take the oath alongside City Clerk Brenna Murphy Leary and new and returning members of the City Council and School Committee.

The ceremony will include music from the Caledonian Pipe Band and a performance by the Holyoke High School Madrigal Choir.

The new term follows a year marked by tense exchanges and calls for improved decorum during council meetings, a topic that dominated headlines in recent months.

City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said the ne

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