Inauguration of Nadine Woodward to take center stage at U.S. Pavilion on Monday

Nadine Woodward will officially become Spokane’s mayor after her inauguration Monday at the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park at noon.

After beating out City Council President Ben Stuckart in November, Woodward has spent the last month preparing to take office. A longtime television news anchor in town, Woodward ran on a platform of increasing enforcement of the law downtown to deter criminal activity and pushing housing development on the city’s fringes in an effort to combat low vacancy rates.

Woodward will take the oath of office in a ceremony including planned performances by a gospel choir and the Spokane and Kalispel tribes. The event is free and open to the public.

The city says Woodward will be the 45th mayor of Spokane. A reception will follow from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Pavilion lobby.