Holden to be sworn into office after midnight

Mayor Kip Holden will ring in the new year, quite literally, by taking the oath of office to begin his third term just minutes after midnight tonight. Holden’s official inauguration will be Friday, but the mayor is putting his customary capstone on New Year’s Eve celebrations tonight with a swearing-in ceremony at the new North Boulevard Town Square. “Most people don’t realize that, according to the plan of government, the mayor must take office on Jan. 1,” says Holden’s political consultant, Rannah Gray, who is helping to plan the swearing in. “As [Holden] has done in his previous terms, he has decided to take the oath right away so he is ready to hit the ground running in the morning.” The ceremony, which will be administered by local attorney and longtime Holden friend Leo Berggreen, will also cap the annual Historic Beauregard Town–Spanish Town New Year’s Eve Celebration. Traditionally, that progressive party ends with the ringing of the bell on the State Capitol grounds. This year, revelers will have the option of taking a trolley from the dessert party to Town Square. —Stephanie Riegel