Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has served in Newton’s corner office for exactly 2,590 days, a number she pointed out as she began her final State of the City Address to the City Council Monday night.

“I am filled with that same sense of gratitude, responsibility, and motivation that I had on Day One,” she said.

Fuller—who was elected to the Board of Aldermen during the Great Recession and has been mayor through a pandemic and a teacher strike—is no stranger to navigating choppy waters, and she spoke Monday on a cautiously optimistic note, given the turmoil we’re seeing at the national stage and around the world.

The overall vibe of the speech can be summed up with three sentences she spoke in the middle of it.

“Yes, the state of our city remains strong. We will need this strength in the days ahead. We have much work to do.“

You can watch the entire address on NewTV’s YouTube channel.

Here are some of the highlights:

Fuller touted the city’s AAA bond rating, which Moody’s recently reaffirmed. And she noted that the city appropriated all of its American Rescue Plan Act funds before the 2024 deadline, under leadership of Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Yeo.

“We expanded the Children’s Room at the Newton Free Library, improved ventilation, technology, curriculum and athletic fields in the Newton Public Schools, paved neighborhood roads, updated outdoor recreation infrastructure and assisted our small businesses, non-profits and residents disproportionately hurt by COVID-19,” she said. “Well done, Jonathan.”

Fuller then reaffirmed Newton’s commitment to the marginalized—including the LGBTQ community, the disabled community and people in financial insecurity—and praised the work of the Centre Street Food Pantry, Newton Food Pantry and the Arabic Baptist Church Food Pantry in keeping families fed through these hard times.

The mayor talked about housing, too, and she praised the work the city has done with rezoning for more housing and various affordable housing initiatives.

“By allowing for more and varied housing, Newton will welcome young adults who want to move home but not into their parents’ basements, older residents who want to downsize and people with modest incomes who are priced out of Newton,” she said. “All this while simultaneously strengthening the vitality of our villages.”

Fuller pointed to the pending reconstruction of the Newtonville Commuter Rail Station as a major success for both transportation and housing.

She wrapped up her address with a nod to departing U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who shared something in his final public speech in that role.

“He focused on the central question he had been grappling with during his two terms as Surgeon General: What is the deeper root cause of the unhappiness he encountered so often across the United States?” Fuller recalled. “After years of study, conversations and reflection, with input from experts across disciplines and analysis of data, he narrowed his answer down to three essential elements that fuel well-being: relationships, service and purpose. For too many, these three elements are in too short supply.”

Kudos from Beacon Hill

Fuller had some special guests to mark the occasion: State Reps. Amy Sangiolo, Greg Schwartz and Tommy Vitolo, as well as Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.

Driscoll—who served as mayor of Salem for 17 years—spoke for a few minutes before Fuller did, about the value local governments bring to people’s lives.

“The folks who are in this room care about the community they live in, are willing to give back every single day, and both the governor and I have such gratitude to be able to work with partners who care about what’s happening in a meaningful way,” Driscoll said. “And I say that through the lens of local government being the branch of government that most of us rely on most in our daily lives, if you think about it: who’s educating your children, or keeping your neighborhood safe?”

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll joined Mayor Ruthanne Fuller for Fuller’s final State of the City Monday night. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

The surprise

One special guest Fuller didn’t know about was her husband, Joseph, who surprised her by showing up and sitting in the front row for her final State of the City address. Fuller is not seeking re-election.

“I’ll take a little personal liberty and say, if there’s anybody in this world who has made it possible for me to do this work, it’s Joe,” she said. “I’m very grateful to you, and I love you dearly.”