Towns around the Hudson Valley held swearing-in ceremonies January 1, with new leaders ascending to different posts. At the Albany County Legislature, there were protests outside the swearing-in ceremony with environmental activists asking Albany County Executive Dan McCoy for a moratorium on burning tires while County legislature works on Clean Air Law. In Hudson, Kamal Johnson was sworn in as the first African-American mayor of the city. At the swearing in at Hudson Hall, Johnson spoke of his plans as mayor. NOTE: Johnson is an active WGXC volunteer programmer. Click here to play or download a brief excerpt of Kamal Johnson's speech from Jan. 1, 2020.