Correia sworn in as Fall River’s youngest mayor

By News Staff

Reporting by Kainani Stevens

kstevens@abc6.com

A new year means a new mayor for Fall River. Jaisel Correia officially took office at an inauguration ceremony Monday morning.

Correia became the youngest mayor in city history after ousting incumbent Sam Sutter in the November elections. The two-term City Councilor will not take over as the powerful politician in the city of 90,000 people.

"I think age is really not a factor in my ability to accomplish a job," said Correia.

A platform of Correia’s campaign hinged on getting rid of the controversial trash removal fees. Residents that spoke to ABC6 News say they hope it’s one of the first changes the new mayor makes.

" I think he should cut it down so we don’t have to pay for the bags and everything," said resident, Stephen Feldman. "No fees for the trash. That’s about it for me. I think that’s his main topic. That’s going to be gone and then I guess taxes will go up?" he added.

"We are working on the new budget which will reduce or hopefully eliminate the trash fees. A partnership with a local trash collector will help us look at that situation," said Correia about the matter.

The new mayor admits his top priority is changing the negative public image of Fall River.

"We will work to shed the perception that has been unfairly cast over Fall River for decades," he said.

© WLNE-TV 2015