The city of Durango’s annual changing of the guard took place this week as Barbara Noseworthy was sworn in as mayor.

Councilors unanimously elected Noseworthy mayor and Melissa Youssef mayor pro tem during City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, wrapping up the one-year term of Kim Baxter.

After taking her oath, Noseworthy began her term with a land acknowledgment before thanking Baxter and her fellow councilors.

“I recognize that Indigenous peoples were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands by the U.S. government. It is important to recognize that the narrative of this region has mostly been told from the dominant perspective without recognition of those who came before us or who, to this day, continue to thrive, create and connect with this land,” she said.

As mayor, Noseworthy said she aims to prioritize the five points she campaigned on when elected to City Council: affordable housing, the city’s budget, homelessness, good paying jobs and the environment.

“My goal as mayor is to continue working to address those five issues, but for me the urgent one is housing, particularly workforce housing,” she said in an interview.

She identified the redevelopment of the Best Western along U.S. Highway 160 and joint efforts between developers and the city’s Urban Renewal Authority as affordable housing projects she aims to bolster during her term.

Noseworthy also hopes to tackle the city’s stormwater management; make progress with capital improvement projects; and follow through on the city’s newly created diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives while mayor, she said.

“If I were to sum it up, we have our second-ever strategic plan (approved in 2021) and that has an operational plan. My biggest goal is to see forward momentum on the areas that we as a council prioritized,” she said.

Mayor and mayor pro tem (in waiting) are a formality for Durango’s city councilors, who each rotate through the positions for a one-year term, but the appointments add responsibilities. The mayor attends more events, works most closely with the city manager, moderates City Council meetings and responds to the public.

As the mayor in waiting, Noseworthy assumed some of those duties, filling in for Baxter when necessary and assisting Baxter with her responsibilities. That experience helped Noseworthy prepare for her new role as mayor.

“I think it’s just a natural continuation of what I expected as an elected official,” she said.

Before the council’s vote, outgoing mayor Kim Baxter thanked city staff members for their work during her term and highlighted the work that the city had accomplished over the last year.

“I’m really optimistic about the future – about housing, business, the economy – because the city’s embarked on a path that I think recognizes all the challenges, evaluates all of our options and takes advantage of our opportunities,” Baxter said.

She finished with a sentiment that Noseworthy shared heading into her time as mayor.

“I think it’s possible that we can ensure that our quality of life improves rather than diminishes and that Durango remains a place that we all want to call home,” Baxter said.

ahannon@duranogherald.com