Michael Branco, victorious last week in the Hamilton mayoral election as the successor of Charles Gosling, received the traditional chains of office yesterday at a ceremony in City Hall.

Dr Branco was invested by Dwayne Caines, the city’s chief executive, after his May 7 win against mayoral contender Elmore Warren. He called it “a proud and humbling moment”.

His initial week in office came with briefings on city priorities, with a visit to North Hamilton on his first day as mayor to follow up on feedback given by residents during his electoral canvassing.

Dr Branco said: “The feedback and excitement about the new city council have been positive and overwhelming.

“There is a real sense of hope and possibility, and now we must get to work.”

The council’s first board meeting, also yesterday, came with the establishment of committees.

Shawn Brown was made chairman of the committee for North Hamilton and residents, while Philip Barnett leads the finance committee.

Mark Pacheco is chairman of the infrastructure committee, Jenefer Brimmer chairs staff and legislation and Maxanne Caines is chairwoman of the committee for the city’s unsheltered population.

A waterfront committee will be reactivated, with the chairman to be announced.

Dr Branco said the council would focus on balancing early progress with budgets, resources and operational capacity.

He added: “Our priorities include improving quality of life for residents in North Hamilton, bringing more vibrancy to the city through events in North Hamilton and along the waterfront, helping Bermudian businesses thrive in Hamilton, working with our partners to address the needs of the unsheltered population and related community challenges, and thoughtfully bringing artificial intelligence into city operations as a tool to work alongside our team, not to replace them.”

The council was said to anticipate its first meetings with the Government to discuss municipal reform and the preservation of the city’s right to hold elections.

Dr Branco, who was elected as a councillor in July 2025, served as an associate member of the city’s infrastructure committee from 2019 to 2023.