Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett assessed the high points of her last 16 months in office and looked to the future in her first State of the City address Tuesday delivered in the City Hall auditorium. Against a backdrop of city, state and the America flag and with her department heads, city hall staff and members of the public cheering her on, Barrett reflected on the successes of her administration, priorities for the future and gave a warning about city finances. Preceding her at the podium was Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll who praised Barrett and other city leaders for their willingness to serve the public and make the city and state a better place to live. Driscoll, the former mayor of Salem, pointed out the challenges inherent in the position that Barrett holds. “It’s a job that is one of the hardest jobs in America, serving as a mayor, particularly of what I consider to be medium-sized cities where you don’t have ton of staff writing press releases and doing the communications, doing all the work you might have in a larger city but you have all the same the challenges.
