The city of Medford and Medford City Council have officially welcomed a new mayor.

Michael “Mike” Zarosinski, a councilor from 2015-22, was sworn in Wednesday during the council meeting and got right down to work welcoming four new councilors.

“It feels pretty familiar,” he said. “There are still things I need to learn how to do better in the new role.”

He said he’s grateful for the voters who chose him to be mayor.

Former Mayor Randy Sparacino, who is now Jackson County Commissioner, briefly led the council meeting before turning over the gavel to Zarosinski.

“This is a really bizarre thing, a pretty cool thing,” Sparacino said. “I am the mayor and county commissioner all at the same time for about three minutes, maybe five.”

Sparacino said a few words before leaving the council.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to be the mayor of Medford for the past four years, and it is my pleasure to introduce to you the new mayor of Medford, Michael Zarosinski,” Sparacino said.

Sparacino is replacing former Jackson County Commissioner Dave Dotterrer, who endorsed Sparacino.

Zarosinski, a civil engineer, has more than a decade of experience in local government and was chair of the Medford Planning Commission in 2014. He was council vice president in 2016 and was council president in 2017 and 2018.

He’s also been on the Medford Urban Renewal Agency board, the Medford Budget Committee, the Medford Vision Implementation Committee, the Medford Water Commission and the Howard Memorial Sports Park Board.

Zarosinski has been involved with a number of local organizations such as Rotary and Medford Youth Baseball Society.

He said it’s the third time that he’s been sworn in at the council, but he almost forgot that he can’t vote as mayor, unless it’s to break a tie.

“I almost voted twice but I had to catch myself on that,” he said.

The city has undergone a turnover in the past year, with a new city manager, some new department heads, a new deputy city manager and four new councilors. The four new councilors are Mike Kerlinger, who represents Ward 1 in northeast Medford; Kevin Keating, who represents Ward 4 in southeast Medford; Garrett West, who represents Ward 3 in northwest Medford; and John Quinn, who represents Ward 2 in southwest Medford.

“These are a really intelligent and intellectually curious bunch,” Zarosinski said. “I think they’ll be quick studies.”

The city has made great strides dealing with one of the thorniest issues facing the city — homelessness  — but Zarosinski said there is still more to do.

He said collaboration among local governments and organizations is needed to find solutions for housing issues and for providing mental health and healthcare needs for the homeless population, potentially looking at creating a shelter campus.

“We need to find alternative solutions for finding ways to help people who are struggling, or are struggling to even have a house,” he said.

Downtown merchants have expressed frustration about the homeless, as well as looking at ways to bring more people to the downtown, he said. Many people just don’t go downtown after 5 p.m., he said.

“Downtowns in general are struggling,” Zarosinski said. “I heard similar issues in the city of Boston. This is not isolated to Medford.”

Zarosinski said he’s looking forward to the findings of an ongoing study that could set the stage for an over-crossing or interchange on Interstate 5 just south of the Rogue Valley Manor.

He said he hopes the solution provides a response to the increasing congestion experienced on the current south Medford interchange, while providing a solution for ongoing development pressures in the southern part of Medford.

In the near future, Zarosinski said he anticipates the upcoming budget cycle for the city will require some budget tightening, though he doesn’t anticipate anything significant or dramatic.

One of the first decisions before the council Wednesday night was to to elect new council officers.

The council unanimously selected Councilor Nick Card as council president and Jessica Ayres as council vice president.